Jubbaland regional assembly tour Kenya to draw examples on parliamentary practice

30 leaders of 13 parliamentary committees are visiting are touring Kenya to enhance their parliamentary capacity as Somalia enhances peace and reconciliation efforts.

The leaders will be given intensive trainings and lectures facilitated by prominent legislative and political experts.

The one-week tour which will end next Tuesday is supported by Danish government through its support to AMISOM’s Stabilization and Early Recovery Programme.

The tour seeks to expose the leaders to democracy and enlighten them on issues revolving around separation of powers, role of parliament in a democracy, conflict resolution, effective parliamentary committees, and the AMISOM mandate and role, among other topics.

Abdi Mohamed Abdulrahman, Speaker of the Jubbaland Regional Assembly appreciated the sacrifices made by AMISOM, to bring peace to Somalia. “If you die in another country for their people, it’s a really sacrifice,” he said in apparent reference to the Mission’s troops who have died in line of duty.

Abbas Ali Ebrahim, the vice-chair of the Ethics Committee of Jubbaland regional assembly, said he was satisfied with the capacity building trip and urged AMISOM to hold more workshops of a similar nature. “Help us, support us as a child who is growing up until they mature. We are like a child, nurture us,” he stressed.

Head of AMISOM, Francisco Madeira, told the Mps the tour was critical, both for the legislators and AMISOM, in their shared process of stabilizing Somalia.

“It’s a milestone in the continuous cooperation between AMISOM and regional governments,” Madeira said in his address to the assembly members, in the Kenyan capital.

“Parliaments are pillars of a democratic government, a deciding factor in nation-building. It has three key roles – legislation, oversight and outreach. MPs are the mouthpiece of the people, to interpret the will of their people,” he said. “Parliament is centre of negotiation and compromise.”

Madeira further noted that Parliament cannot function effectively “without adequate and well trained committees’ leadership and professional staff (back-up)”.