The Minister of Agriculture of Somalia has been given 48 hours

Tuesday 14 October 2026 {HMC} The Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Livestock, and Marine Resources of the Somali Parliament has requested the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation to submit the documents of the members of the Board of Directors of the Somali Agricultural Services and Research Institute (SARIS) within 48 hours, to ensure that their selection followed the legal procedure.

The committee stated that the requested documents include the identification of the members, their educational certificates, letters of good conduct, curricula vitae, and letters of good character from the National Civil Service Commission.

This action came after the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation of Somalia responded to a previous request from the committee seeking information about the members selected for the board of the agency.

According to the committee's letter dated 13 October, the minister argued that obtaining information about the individuals he selected for the board is not part of the committee's work.

However, the committee insisted that its request is in accordance with the constitutional powers of the Parliament, referencing Article 95 of the Federal Constitution of Somalia, which states that both houses of Parliament have the authority to oversee and investigate government agencies.

The committee also cited 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 that they need to fulfill their responsibilities.

The request for information relates to verifying that the establishment of the SARIS Steering Council was conducted in accordance with the law numbered LR.32, issued on December 24, 2024, which established the agency, particularly Article 7 which outlines the membership requirements of the council.

SARIS is a regulatory agency for the services and inspection of Somali agriculture, and the committee stated that it is administratively independent of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, although it is politically under the ministry.