20/05/2026
“A Nation Is Not a Rotation: Somaliland Youth and Leaders Must Demand Stable, Competent Government”
We Somalilanders are proud of something real: we built peace and institutions when many said we could not. But we must be honest—our politics still carries a sickness that blocks the future: frequent reshuffles and clan-first appointments.
Let’s start with the law we all share. Our Constitution is not shy about this. It says citizens must not be given precedence because of clan, and discrimination based on clan affiliation is prohibited.
It even says political parties cannot be based on clanism.
So when we vote or argue like government is a clan trophy—and when leaders appoint ministers mainly to satisfy sub-clan arithmetic—we are not being “traditional.” We are breaking the social contract we claim to defend.
Now let’s talk about reshuffles.
Yes—sometimes a leader must remove a minister. A minister may fail. A minister may be corrupt. A minister may not deliver. But what we see too often is different: reshuffles that look like political bargaining, not performance correction. Official dismissal letters in our gazettes even normalise it by saying national office is “a rotation.”
If leadership becomes a rotation, then governance becomes a marketplace: everyone enters office thinking, “My time is short—take what you can.” That is how corruption becomes rational. That is how public service becomes a hustle.
And the damage is not theory. It has a name: policy discontinuity.
When ministers change repeatedly, plans reset. Projects stall. Teams learn, then are replaced. A new minister arrives, cancels the previous priorities, starts again, and wants quick wins before the next reshuffle. Academic research across many countries shows that minister turnover matters: even when a government remains in power, individual ministers can churn quickly—and that churn can weaken performance.
In Somaliland, youth feel this in the most painful place: jobs.
A serious study using Somaliland survey data reports youth unemployment rates above 70% among 15–24 year olds.
This is not just “bad luck” or “global conditions.” It is also the result of weak delivery systems: inconsistent investment policy, disrupted education and skills programmes, and ministries that keep changing direction.
Some will say: “But our leaders have the legal right to reshuffle.” True. The Constitution gives the President power to appoint and remove ministers.
But the Constitution also sets rules to protect the nation from abuse. It requires parliamentary confirmation of ministers.
And it contains a powerful anti-corruption safeguard: when a minister is dismissed, they must stay until a successor takes over—and while waiting, they must not make new appointments or sign agreements for the ministry.
That is the Constitution recognising a danger that every Somali understands: the “last days in office” are risky days.
So the question is not “Can leaders reshuffle?” The question is: Will leaders govern like builders—or like brokers?
To Somaliland’s leaders: stop using ministries as negotiation chips. Your legacy will not be the number of people you appointed. Your legacy will be the number of children educated, the number of mothers receiving health care, the number of water systems maintained, and the number of young people employed.
To Somaliland’s youth: stop rewarding clan performance and punishing national performance. If we clap for appointments that satisfy “our side” instead of competence, we are training leaders to ignore merit. If we vote for the loudest clan talker instead of the best problem solver, we are voting for instability.
What should we demand?
First, real confirmation hearings in parliament—where ministers present plans, qualifications, and measurable targets, and where the public can watch. The Constitution already gives parliament a confirmation role.
Let’s make it meaningful.
Second, stability windows for core ministries. We should demand that the most important ministries—finance, security, education, health, water—are not reshuffled every year unless there is clear cause.
Third, enforce handovers. The Constitution already bans signing agreements during handover.
We must insist that this is enforced, audited, and publicly reported.
Fourth, protect civil servants from political purges. Ministers may change; the professional state must remain.
Finally, we must fight the “clan-first reflex” not with insults, but with a better identity: citizenship. The Constitution demands equality; it demands parties not be clan vehicles.
We do not honor Somaliland by protecting clan privilege. We honor Somaliland by protecting national institutions.
Somaliland youth: your power is not only in elections. It is in standards. Ask one question whenever there is a reshuffle: “What problem did this solve—and what results will you deliver in the next six months?” If leaders cannot answer, then reshuffle is just movement, not progress.