# Hargeisa councillor accused of illegal night works on Sha'ab road

> Somaliland Sun reported on 28 Aug 2014 that residents of Sha'ab estate, Hargeisa evicted workers building overnight on a feeder road allegedly linked…

- By: Editorial Team, Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com/about)
- Published: 1 October 2026
- Format: News story (reported from one named public source)
- Publication: Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com)
- Subject: Business and Costs
- Tags: estimating, underbidding
- Web version: https://somaliconstructionreview.com/blog/hargeisa-councillor-night-land-grab

## Key points

- On 28 August 2014, Somaliland Sun reported that Hargeisa residents evicted construction workers building overnight on a feeder road in Sha'ab estate.
- Residents accused a city councillor, Hanad Hashi, of orchestrating the illegal works and vowed to oppose any claim to the road.
- The report does not establish official findings, land ownership, or any subsequent action since the incident.

On 28 August 2014, **Somaliland Sun** reported that residents of Sha'ab estate in Hargeisa woke to find construction workers building a house on an estate feeder road overnight. The report, written by Latifa Yusuf Masai and datelined Hargeisa, described a city councillor as having taken on "new duties for personal gain as night construction foreman".

According to Somaliland Sun, an elder of the estate said the site was a road at 10 pm and a house under construction by 6 am. The elder, quoted by the publication, said: "By 10 pm last night the place was a road though not rehabilitated but by 6am in the morning it was a house in construction."

The report said residents, led by the elder, evicted the construction workers and their equipment from the site. Residents were quoted as vowing: "Since the Councillor Hanad Hashi has turned night construction engineer we shall now turn to Day demolition engineers."

Somaliland Sun did not name the councillor in its opening paragraphs but later referred to "Councillor Hanad" and reported he was "determined on ultimate ownership" of the land. The publication did not provide official confirmation from Hargeisa municipality, land records, or any other authority about ownership or permits.

The article said construction had ceased but that "it is not yet clear what will happen next". It also stated that such behaviour by local council members had been "rampant all over the country" since their election in late November 2012, attributing the claim to residents.

The 2014 report does not establish what happened after that morning. There is no evidence in it of any official investigation, legal action, formal land adjudication, or further construction. The ownership status of the feeder road remains unclear in the report, and the councillor has not been proven guilty of any wrongdoing by any official body cited.

For urban planners and governance watchdogs, the case as reported illustrates a pattern of rapid, unauthorised construction on public rights-of-way and the lack, at the time, of documented municipal response.

## Questions

### What did Somaliland Sun report about the Sha'ab estate incident?

Somaliland Sun reported on 28 August 2014 that residents discovered construction workers building a house overnight on a feeder road in Sha'ab estate, Hargeisa. Residents blamed a city councillor, Hanad Hashi, and evicted the workers.

### Was the councillor legally found guilty of land grabbing?

No. The Somaliland Sun report contains no official finding of guilt or any legal determination. It reports residents' allegations and their eviction of workers, but no authority confirmed wrongdoing.

### What happened after the eviction according to the report?

The report states construction ceased and it was unclear what would happen next. It provides no information on subsequent investigations, legal proceedings, or outcomes.

## Sources

- [Somaliland: City Councillor Turns Land Grabber and Night Construction Engineer](https://somalilandsun.com/somaliland-city-councillor-turns-land-grabber-and-night-construction-engineer/) — Somaliland Sun, 2014-08-28