By Shire Abdi - Reporter
Mogadishu — Constitutional review bodies in Somalia launched a new application allowing citizens to easily access the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
The constitution has also been printed in 50,000 copies, a move described as an important step in promoting constitutional awareness and ensuring that citizens have access to the country’s highest legal document.
The launch ceremony was attended by the Acting Speaker of the House of the People, Saadiya Yasin Haji Samatar and the First Deputy Speaker of the Upper House, Senator Ali Shaban Ibrahim. Officials from the Independent Constitutional Review and Implementation Commission, the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on the Constitution, and the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs also attended.
Officials who spoke at the event said the application and the printed books would make it easier for citizens to read and understand the document. They noted that access to the constitution is essential for the implementation of the law, public awareness, and ensuring that government institutions operate in accordance with constitutional provisions.
MP Samatar, the Acting Speaker of the House of the People, said the completion of the constitution is a national achievement, but emphasized on its implementation. She called for copies of the constitution to be distributed to the public, especially youth.
The Chairman of the Independent Constitutional Review and Implementation Commission, Burhan Adan Omar, and the Acting Chairman of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on the Constitution, Senator Said Awke, said the constitution should not become a book left unused, but rather a document that the public, government institutions, Parliament, the executive and the judiciary should learn, implement and defend.
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Senator Ibrahim, the First Deputy Speaker of the Upper House, stressed that Somalia needs strong and reliable laws that can guide citizens and government institutions, while showing the world that the country has a complete legal framework.
The new Constitution was approved by the federal parliament on March 4, 2026. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud signed it into law on March 8, 2026.
State Minister for the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Ilyas Sheikh Omar, said the country had reached an important milestone in the state-building process, following completion of the review process, printing of the document and its availability to the public through a modern platform accessible on mobile phones.
However, the completion of the constitution continues to face differing views. Opposition figures and some federal member states have previously argued that the process was not based on broad political consensus. Puntland, in particular, has called for constitutional amendments to be based on a public referendum and an agreement involving all political stakeholders in the country.
The Federal Government of Somalia, for its part, maintains that completing the constitution is a historic step that lays the foundation for state-building, direct elections, strengthening national institutions and implementing a unified legal system across the country.
The launch of the new application and the printed constitutional book comes as the government and constitutional institutions continue efforts to make the constitution accessible to the public, increase citizens’ understanding and strengthen the implementation of the country’s highest law.