The BF has given Minister Xamza 48 hours + Reason

Mogadishu (Caasimada Online) – The Agriculture Committee of the House of the People has given the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation a period of 48 hours following a dispute over the information of the members selected for the Board of the Somali Agricultural Services and Research Authority (SARIS).

The Agriculture, Rural Development, Livestock and Marine Resources Committee has requested the minister to submit the documents of the council members within that time, to verify that their appointments followed legal procedures.

The requested documents include the members' identifications, educational certificates, letters of good conduct, resumes, and evidence of good character from the National Civil Service Commission.

This issue follows a response from the minister to a previous request from the committee for information about the selected members. The minister argued that obtaining the personal information of the appointed members is not within the committee's obligations.

However, the committee opposed this, insisting that the parliament has the legal authority to request this information. The committee based its argument on Article 95 of the Federal Constitution of Somalia, which grants both houses of Parliament the power to oversee and investigate government agencies.

The committee reinforced its legal argument with Article 59 of the rules of procedure of the House of the People, which allows parliamentary committees to request information and reports from the government and other agencies necessary for fulfilling their duties.

The information on the members is specifically sought to ensure compliance with the law numbered LR.32, which was issued on December 24, 2024, and established SARIS. The committee wants to confirm that the membership requirements of the Steering Council mentioned in Article 7 of that law have been met.

The SARIS agency is responsible for the regulation of services and the inspection of Somali agriculture. As the committee stated, the agency is administratively independent of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, although it is politically under the ministry.