Hussen used his signal post to serve local Somalis, building popular support before independence.

Evidence

As time passed Hussen received many visitors from town who supported him, since he was the most visible Somali in the administration, and as most people knew, he was the only official member of the SYL in town. Hussen had earned a lot of credit with people because he often sent messages for individual Somalis, including merchants who wanted to know the price of commodities in Mogadishu. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 206