Somalia to Link Government Payroll System With National ID Database
GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: Somalia’s Office of the Accountant General has announced plans to link the government’s payroll system with the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) database in a move aimed at verifying public employees and strengthening controls over government salary payments.
Under the plan, outlined in a letter dated Aug. 29, implementation will begin with a pilot programme on Oct. 1, 2026. The system will then be gradually expanded across government institutions, with nationwide implementation expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2027.
The integration will connect the government payroll and Somali Financial Management Information System (SFMIS) with NIRA’s national identification system, allowing authorities to verify the identity and personal details of public employees before they are included in the payroll.
The Office of the Accountant General said the measure was intended to improve the accuracy of employee records, strengthen salary verification and help identify ghost workers and other errors within the public payroll system.
The Ministry of Finance, the National Civil Service Commission and NIRA have been notified of the implementation plan.
Once the new system is fully operational, employees who are not registered with NIRA, or whose identity information cannot be properly verified, will not be included in the government payroll system, according to the notice.
The initiative forms part of Somalia’s wider push to digitise government administration and strengthen public financial management. Linking payroll records to a national digital identity could also give the government greater control over one of its biggest areas of recurrent expenditure while reducing the risk of duplicate or fraudulent salary payments.
The rollout will be closely watched as the government expands the national ID system and seeks to integrate it with key public services and government databases.
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