Mogadishu, Somalia – Somalia has officially cemented its place in the East African Community (EAC) political fold after its bicameral Federal Parliament on Wednesday elected nine legislators to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA). It marks the first time the Horn of Africa nation will have a voice in the bloc’s lawmaking body — a moment widely celebrated in Mogadishu as the start of a new regional chapter.
The joint parliamentary session, chaired by Sheikh Adan Mohamed Noor Madobe, Speaker of the House of the People, concluded what many lawmakers described as both a constitutional duty and a symbol of trust from fellow EAC member states. Somalia became the EAC’s eighth member in March 2024 and was formally admitted in November after years of negotiations.
The newly elected delegation reflects both diplomatic experience and technocratic expertise. Among them is Ambassador Zahra Ali Hassan, Somalia’s former envoy to Tanzania and non-resident ambassador to Rwanda, who is expected to draw on her regional ties. She is joined by Dr. Abdisalam Omer, the country’s former foreign minister and central bank governor; Prof. Faisal Roble, a respected urban policy analyst known for his work on African municipal governance; and Abdirahman Bashir Shariff, a senior World Bank adviser and former deputy ambassador to the United States. Ilham Ali Gassar, a governance and peace-building specialist, also secured a seat, rounding off what observers have called a “strategically balanced” delegation.
The election process was overseen by the Interim Committee on the Selection and Election of EALA Representatives, which set strict eligibility requirements — including higher education credentials, fluency in English, and proven involvement in regional affairs. Officials said the benchmarks were designed to ensure Somalia’s debut at EALA was not merely ceremonial, but functional and influential.
With the delegation now headed to EALA headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, Somalia will sit alongside lawmakers from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mogadishu is also expected to nominate a judge to the East African Court of Justice in the coming weeks — a move that will complete its institutional integration into the bloc.
EALA, established in 2001, is the legislative arm of the EAC and is tasked with drafting regional laws, approving budgets, and providing oversight on integration commitments. For Somalia, participation in the Assembly offers more than visibility — it opens a platform to influence decisions on trade, infrastructure, labor movement, and security across a combined market of more than 300 million people.
For a nation long defined by its challenges, Wednesday’s election was framed not as a conclusion, but as a beginning.