Mogadishu local government has issued a directive to demolish a construction in Mogadishu following months of investigation.
The building under construction belongs to a private company operating in the city.
Abdirahman Omar Osman, Mogadishu mayor suspended the construction of building months ago after allegations that the company occupied public land emerged.
The mayor called for an investigation into the allegations and the pause of the construction till the conclusion of the probe.
In a directive statement issued on Sunday, the mayor has earmarked the buildings in El-Gabta neighborhood for demolition, terming its construction illegal.
“The Moyor of Mogadishu and the governor of Benadir region today directed the demolition of Piazza Libera building as the land is meant for the public interest,” the statement reads in part.
There have been numerous allegations of corruption regarding the selling of public land with claims of fake title deeds finding a way into the official system.
Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo early this year halted selling, leasing and allocation of public land.
Land and property ownership in Mogadishu remains an emotive and complex issue dating back to the collapse of the government in 1991 and even before.
It is not only the public land which is facing scramble, lack of legal precedents and multiple ownership of private land over time make it difficult to resolve land ownership in the city.
Since the fall of Somalia’s central government in the 1990s, the public premises and government institutions had been occupied by individuals.
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