What began as a promise of shared governance has turned into a slow erosion of Somali sovereignty — a foreign-designed system that divides more than it unites.
When Kenyan leader Jomo Kenyatta famously said, “When the missionaries arrived, the Africans had the land and the missionaries had the Bible. They taught us to pray with our eyes closed, and when we opened them, they had the land and we had the Bible,” he was not merely describing a colonial episode, but outlining a method of soft domination — one that begins with persuasion and moral appeal, and ends with control and dependency.
In Somalia’s modern experience, the same story has replayed itself in subtler form. The new “missionaries” did not bring the Bible this time — they brought federalism, presented as a magical cure for all ills: good governance, power-sharing, and the end of tyranny. They told us, “This is the system that suits you; it will bring justice and inclusion.” Trusting their advice, we closed our eyes and abandoned the unitary system upon which the Somali state was founded, believing that federalism would save us from failure and authoritarianism.
But when we opened our eyes, we realized we had lost both systems. We were left with neither a strong central government nor a coherent federation. What emerged was a distorted hybrid — incapable of exercising authority or granting genuine autonomy to the regions. A federal government without full sovereignty, and regional states that act like independent countries in form but not in substance, while the real decisions are made beyond our borders.
Donors now set development priorities, international missions handle security, and foreign organizations oversee the economy and elections. Meanwhile, Somalis remain trapped in endless disputes over an unfinished constitution, undefined powers, and unresolved boundaries. Thus, federalism has turned from a tool for nation-building into a mechanism of fragmentation, from a means of reconciliation into an excuse for division.
Somalis have lost the essence of sovereignty and fallen into the trap of a hybrid system that represents no one and expresses no genuine will. Instead of serving as a framework for political balance, federalism has become a symbol of subtle dependency.
And between “the Bible and the land” of yesterday and “federalism and sovereignty” today, the story repeats itself in different forms — but the outcome remains the same: the essence of the nation is taken away while we continue to argue over its shape.
Ali Halane is a Somali journalist, researcher specializing in African and Middle Eastern affairs, and co-founder of the Somali Cultural Parliament.
The opinion expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Dawan Africa
