In brief
- On 10 May 2023, Mustaqbal Media reported that Howlwadaag District Commissioner Bashir Abdi Mohamed asked the Banadir Region administration to reconstruct the road connecting major intersections in Mogadishu.
- The Commissioner said, as reported, that the road becomes waterlogged and impassable every time it rains, hindering road users and traffic movement.
- No cost, budget, contract value, contractor or timeline for the requested reconstruction is given, and there is no stated response from the Banadir Region administration.
On 10 May 2023, Mustaqbal Media reported that Bashir Abdi Mohamed, the Commissioner of Howlwadaag District, asked the Banadir Region administration to reconstruct the road that connects major intersections in Mogadishu.
The report carried the byline "MM Editor" and was filed under the publication's "Economics" category. Its headline described the intersections as having been "cut off by floods", although the report body does not identify which intersections were involved or when the flooding occurred.
The Commissioner's case for the work, as reported, is a maintenance one. He said that a lot of work needs to be done on the road because every time it rains the road becomes waterlogged and impassable for road users and the movement of traffic. That is his account as reported by Mustaqbal Media on 10 May 2023. No independent documentation of the road's condition, or of the frequency of the flooding, appears in the report.
What the request is, and what it is not
The report describes a request to the Banadir Region administration. It does not describe a decision, a project, a budget allocation or a commitment by any authority.
Facts not established by the report
The Mustaqbal Media item does not state the length of road to be reconstructed, the number or names of the intersections involved, or the date and duration of the flooding that the headline refers to. It does not state what kind of works would be required, whether drainage, resurfacing or reconstruction of the carriageway, or who would pay for them.
Open questions
What is not in the record matters to anyone tracking infrastructure delivery in Mogadishu. The questions the report leaves open are whether the Banadir Region administration has responded to the Commissioner's request, whether any reconstruction of these intersections has been designed or costed, and what has happened on this road since 10 May 2023. Nothing in the evidence reviewed establishes an answer to any of them.
Frequently asked questions
Which road intersections in Mogadishu were cut off by floods?
The Mustaqbal Media report of 10 May 2023 does not name the specific intersections. It refers to the road connecting major intersections in Mogadishu, and the headline describes them as cut off by floods, but the report body does not identify them.
Who is responsible for the reconstruction requested?
According to Mustaqbal Media's report of 10 May 2023, the request was made by Howlwadaag District Commissioner Bashir Abdi Mohamed to the Banadir Region administration. The report does not state a response from the Banadir Region administration.
What is the cost or timeline for the requested reconstruction?
No cost, budget, contract value or timeline is given in the Mustaqbal Media report of 10 May 2023, and none appears in the evidence reviewed.