By Zamzam Daqare. - Reporter
MOGADISHU, 10 October 2026 — The Speaker of Somalia’s House of the People has defended a decision to deduct salaries from lawmakers who miss parliamentary sessions, saying the measure followed procedures set out in the parliament’s internal rules.
The Speaker said lawmakers who disagree with the decision have 15 days to file an appeal and can bring the matter before the House for legal debate.
“Personally, I am not willing to preside over a situation in which one Somali lawmaker comes here every morning while another sits at a café, whether at home or abroad, watching what happens here,” the Speaker said.
He said lawmakers who fail to fulfil their parliamentary duties should not continue receiving their salaries, stressing that attendance at sessions and the performance of assigned responsibilities were obligations of members of the House.
The Speaker also said the salary deduction decision had undergone a verification process involving the committee responsible for parliamentary rules and a review of documents related to lawmakers’ attendance.
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He added that lawmakers with officially approved leave or documented special circumstances would have their cases considered. The parliamentary leadership, he said, was prepared to correct any administrative errors, particularly where a lawmaker had been wrongly included on the list of those subject to salary deductions.
The Speaker clarified that the measure was not intended to penalise lawmakers with medical conditions or other special circumstances, but to ensure that public funds allocated for salaries went to members fulfilling their official duties.
The decision follows an earlier pledge by the Speaker to take action against lawmakers who repeatedly miss parliamentary sessions, including through salary reductions.
The Speaker said the decision remained open to debate and that lawmakers could use the available legal procedures to submit complaints and challenge the measure.