Hold for quote: Somalia President under fire for appearing to condone corruption for development
President Hassan made the remarks on Tuesday while unveiling a new building for the Ministry of Religious Affairs, a project spearheaded by Minister Mokhtar Robow, a former top Al-Shabaab commander.
Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has come under fire for making remarks suggesting that he does not have any issues with corruption as long as the country's development agenda continues, a stance that has elicited strong reactions.
President Hassan made the remarks on Tuesday while unveiling a new building for the Ministry of Religious Affairs, a project spearheaded by Minister Mokhtar Robow, a former top Al-Shabaab commander.
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The building's construction was reportedly financed through unspent Hajj pilgrimage allocations, funds that had previously been alleged to have been misappropriated from public coffers.
Despite attempting to encourage service delivery among ministers, Hassan's comments were widely interpreted as condoning corruption, with opposition civil society and governance experts condemning Hassan's utterances.
"Let that sink in. This wasn't a gaffe. It was a statement of principle; on record," said a Somali political and security analyst, Samira Gaid, according to The Somali Guardian.
"But public office is not a transactional space where corruption is tolerable if it delivers results. It is an amana — a sacred trust. When the highest office in the land legitimises kickbacks, even conditionally, what do we expect of other institutions?"
Samira further commended Minister Mokhtara for his distinctive reputation and role within the government.
"Mokhtar, still widely regarded as an island of integrity in a sea of corruption, [is] one of the few officials perceived as genuinely committed to public service," she said.
President Hassan has previously come under fire for making statements seen as endorsing dubious governance standards. He has, on occasion, justified appointing relatives and close allies to government positions, arguing that officials "have the right to hire their family members and children."
In another incident, Hassan brushed off concerns about his personal assets, asserting that the Somali public has no business questioning his wealth and property holdings, a stance that has reinforced fears he considers himself above public accountability.
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