Clash with minister costs Mogadishu mayor job, president’s man takes over

MOGADISHU MAYOR Hassan Mohamed Hussein Mungab has been relieved of his duties barely a week after differences between him and Security Minister Abdirizak Omar Mohamed spilled into the public when the two clashed over the blocking of a road in the city.

In a statement to the media, Interior Permanent Secretary Yahye Ali Ibrahim said the sacking of Mungab was the prerogative of the president without citing any reasons for the move, a day when the president travelled to Saudi Arabia.

However sources close to the developments have told Goobjoog News Mungab’s fate was sealed after he failed to apologise to the minister following the incident which caused a stir as the mayor sought to exercise his authority over the city.

“The mayor was reportedly asked to apologise to the minister but he declined and with that his fate was somehow sealed,” said the source.

The official communication signed off by president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud notes the decision was taken on 17th of this month.

In an incident which was seen as slap on the minister’s face, the mayor, who was also Banaadir governor ordered a bulldozer to clear the road linking UN offices and the airport which had been blocked by the Security department causing a standoff.

In his place, Mungaab has been replaced with Sheikh Yusuf Jimaale, one of the president’s allies and former secretary of the president’s party PDP.

The sacking of Mungaab could also have been as a result of bad blood between him and Villa Somalia and his perceived threat to the centre especially as the build up towards 2016 takes shape.

“Mungaab was largely an outsider occupying a very crucial and powerful position in the country’s politics. Serving both as mayor and governor gave him wide ranging powers hence the threat from powers that be in the current regime,” said a source close to the development.

Observers also note that Mungab’s exit would have been a foregone conclusion months back but his deep pockets is said to have kept him close and relevant at Ufficio Governo, his official residence.

In June this year Mungab reshuffled the city administration that saw a Shangani district Said Abdikadir Said dropped and a number of other district commissioners transferred to different districts in the city.

Mungab took over from former outspoken mayor Mohamed Nur Tarzan in February last year.