Abdirazak Hussen insisted on purging unqualified senior civil servants despite ministerial reluctance

Evidence

When the commission unveiled its work, with an accent on the quality and the quantity of civil servants needed for an effective Somali government, it stressed that numerous state employees, particularly in senior positions, had neither the experience nor the qualifications necessary for their posts. It was recommended that such individuals should be given two years, with salary, to requalify through training. Those who failed to capitalize on the opportunity ought to be discharged. The cabinet accepted the report, and Hussen gave orders for its strict and swift implementation. Each ministry was then required to look into its section of the report and deal forthrightly with the recommendations. Many ministers got cold feet when facing the unpleasant task of demoting and firing staff, but Hussen told them that he would take full responsibility for the fallout and that each one must act with firmness. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 793