Public life today
Mohamud Abdullahi Sheikh Siraji (Maxamuud Siraaji)
Mohamud Abdullahi Sheikh Siraji is a Somali politician who grew up in Kenya's Dadaab refugee camps, studied at York University in Toronto, and won a Jubaland seat in the House of the People in a by-election on 15 February 2018, after his brother, public works minister Abbas Siraji, was shot dead in 2017. In December 2018 he became chair of the House budget and finance committee.
Mohamud Abdullahi Sheikh SirajiMaxamuud Cabdulaahi Sheekh Siraaji · Mohamud Siraaji
- Known as one of
- Public life today
- Places
- Muqdisho and Banaadir, Garbahaarrey and Gedo, Bu'aale and Middle Juba, Kismaayo and Lower Juba
- Era
- Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 10 sources
Who is he?
Mohamud Abdullahi Sheikh Siraji is a Somali politician elected for Jubaland to the House of the People of the Federal Parliament on 15 February 2018 (Radio Dalsan, "Slain minister Siraji's brother Mohamud wins Jubbaland by-election"). He is the younger brother of Abbas Abdullahi Sheikh Siraji, minister of public works and reconstruction, who was shot dead in Mogadishu in May 2017 (The New York Times, 4 May 2017).
Early life
When he was a small child his family fled the civil war and moved to the Dadaab refugee camps in north-eastern Kenya, through Liboi (Wikipedia, Mohamud Siraji; CBC, "Refugee camp influx", 24 July 2011). He went to primary and secondary school in Ifo camp, at Dadaab, and on the strength of his national exam results won a scholarship to study commerce at York University in Toronto (Wikipedia). He was active in student organisations there (same source).
The 2018 by-election
His brother Abbas, a former refugee seen as a "rising star", was killed in May 2017 (The New York Times). After a nine-month wait for the by-election, Mohamud won the vacated seat on 15 February 2018 (Halbeeg News, 15 February 2018).
In the House
On 26 December 2018 he was elected chair of the House committee on budget, finance, planning and oversight of public institutions (Goobjoog News, 26 December 2018). The committee's earlier leaders had been removed after a report claiming more than $42 million was missing from finance ministry accounts (The African Exponent); the parliament later apologised, calling that report wrong (The African Exponent).
In October 2018 he spoke at the Global Parliamentary Summit against Hunger and Malnutrition in Madrid (FAO), and he then joined the House's food security and nutrition committee, formed in March 2019, and the East Africa Parliamentary Alliance on Food Security and Nutrition (Wikipedia; EAPA FSN).
In short
A Dadaab-raised Jubaland MP who took his slain brother's seat in 2018 and chaired the House finance committee.
Sources
- Radio Dalsan, "Slain minister Siraji's brother Mohamud wins Jubbaland by-election" · radiodalsan.com
- The New York Times, 4 May 2017 · nytimes.com
- Wikipedia, Mohamud Siraji · en.wikipedia.org
- CBC, "Refugee camp influx", 24 July 2011 · cbc.ca
- Halbeeg News, 15 February 2018 · en.halbeeg.com
- Goobjoog News, 26 December 2018 · goobjoog.com
- The African Exponent · africanexponent.com
- The African Exponent · africanexponent.com
- FAO · fao.org
- EAPA FSN · eapa-fsn.org
Mohamud Abdullahi Sheikh SirajiMaxamuud Cabdulaahi Sheekh Siraaji · Mohamud Siraaji
- Known as one of
- Public life today
- Places
- Muqdisho and Banaadir, Garbahaarrey and Gedo, Bu'aale and Middle Juba, Kismaayo and Lower Juba
- Era
- Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 10 sources
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Where this matters
- Muqdisho (Mogadishu) and BanaadirMogadishu (Muqdisho) is Somalia's capital and makes up the Banadir region, with about 2.97 million people in 20 districts.
- Garbahaarrey (Garbaharey) and GedoGedo is the south-western region on the borders with Kenya and Ethiopia, with Garbahaarrey as its capital and about 1 million people.
- Bu'aale (Buale) and Middle JubaMiddle Juba is a farming region on the Juba river in the south, with about 447,000 people.
- Kismaayo (Kismayo) and Lower JubaLower Juba is the far southern region on the border with Kenya, with the port city of Kismayo (Kismaayo) as its capital and about 1.2 million people.
Same era
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- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
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