By Hussein Mohamed Yusuf

Mohamed A. Hashi’s essay, “Somalia’s Never-Ending Rebuild: The State That Always Promises, Rarely Delivers”, captures with precision the frustrations of a nation stuck between promise and delivery. His reflections are not just commentary but a mirror for all Somalis who have endured decades of waiting. What emerges clearly is that Somalia’s political elites, entrusted with rebuilding the state, have instead become its greatest obstacle.

Somalia’s wounds did not fester on their own. They were deepened by elites who treat governance as an inheritance to be shared rather than a responsibility to be carried. Their choices have consistently privileged clan interests, personal enrichment, and short-term survival over national unity. In this sense, the collapse of the past continues because the very custodians of recovery have no incentive to change it.

Federalism as Fragmentation

Federalism promised reconciliation, shared authority, and a pathway to avoid dictatorship. In practice, it has produced multiple centers of power pulling in different directions. Presidents of Federal Member States operate like sovereign rulers, striking independent deals and resisting any attempt at central oversight. Mogadishu, meanwhile, is left negotiating rather than governing.

Instead of healing divisions, federalism has become the bargaining ground of elites. It is less about bringing Somalis together and more about dividing resources, positions, and recognition. At every level, the citizen remains excluded from the equation.

Security as Theatre

For more than a decade, billions have been poured into security sector reform. Soldiers have been trained, uniforms distributed, and weapons supplied. Yet Somalia remains unsafe. The problem lies not in the absence of investment but in the choices of leaders who treat the security apparatus as another extension of patronage. Unpaid soldiers desert, loyalty is tied to clan leaders, and arms meant to protect the public are traded on the very markets that feed insurgency. Citizens live in uncertainty because their leaders have allowed security to become a theatre of appearances.

Education, often praised in speeches, has never been prioritized in budgets. Classrooms remain overcrowded, teachers unpaid, and rural schools abandoned. Leaders send their children abroad while the children of ordinary citizens sit under trees or in bullet-ridden buildings.

Justice fares no better. Courts are underfunded, judges compromised, and citizens pushed toward clan elders for dispute resolution. The elites benefit from this vacuum because a weak justice system allows them to act without consequence.

Finances Without Integrity

Somalia’s eligibility for debt relief was celebrated widely, yet the ordinary Somali continues to live under poverty and informal taxation. The introduction of financial reforms has won applause from international partners but has done little to stop elites from siphoning public funds. Oversight institutions exist in name but lack independence. Donors grow weary not because Somalia lacks potential but because elites refuse to translate reforms into reality. Progress remains paper-deep, while corruption reaches into every layer of governance.

A Leadership Without Vision

Perhaps the most damaging legacy of Somalia’s elites is the absence of vision. Every administration drafts new strategies and convenes new conferences, but implementation rarely follows. State-building has been reduced to a cycle of announcements, workshops, and photo opportunities. Citizens are left to fend for themselves, while their leaders speak of reform in the language of performance. The gap between rhetoric and reality widens each year.

The Way Forward

Somalia does not lack resilience. Its people have survived unimaginable hardship and continue to dream of a better tomorrow. What is lacking is a leadership that matches this resilience with integrity and responsibility. Unless political elites abandon patronage and embrace service, Somalia will remain a nation permanently under reconstruction. The next three decades will either repeat the same failures or mark a turning point where leaders finally rise to the level of their people’s sacrifices.

Hussein Mohamed Yusuf
Email: hussienm4@gmail.com