Hiiraan Online
Tuesday, July 03, 2012
From right: Eng. Kaamil A. Olol Diinle, Peter Noad, Ahmed Dalal Farah (Wii Waa) iyo Romain Ekoto.
Monday, July 2, 2012 (HOL)- the 5th conference on Somali civil Aviation steering committee was held at the International Civil Aviation Organization headquarter in Montreal, Canada from June 28-June 29, 2012.
Members of the committee who participated in the conference were Engineer Mohamed-Kamil A. Olol Diinle, representing the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG), Ahmed Dalal Farah of Somaliland, Mr. Peter Noad of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO/TCB) also the Director of Civil Aviation Caretaker Authority for Somalia Mr. Kemoitse J. Mosuupoukwa and the head of UNDP for Somalia Mr. David M. Clapp joined the conference over the phone.
The conference was chaired by the Director of Somaliland Civil Aviation Mr. Farah (WiiWaa). The committee discussed the importance of strengthening the capacity of CACAS staff as well as improving the rights of the staff who are currently working out of the Nairobi, Kenya office; eventually transferring the administration and management of Somali Civil Aviation back to the Somali authority. It is understood that CACAS was established as a temporary caretaker and that it is about time the Somali Government has complete authority of its airspace sovereignty.
The Civil Aviation Caretaker Authority for Somalia headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya was established collaboratively by UNDP and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 1996 for the sole purpose of safeguarding the flight aviation security of Somalia, after the collapse of central authority in Somalia in 1991.
Ahmed Dalal Farah (Wii Waa), Raymond Benjamin (Secretary General of ICAO) & Eng.Kaamil A. Olol Diinle
It is alleged that the CACAS project has mismanaged funds that were intended to build a Somali Civil Aviation Administration as reported in a technical audit. It found that CACAS is essentially controlled by a group of Kenyan technocrats, with the addition of some international staff appointed by ICAO Technical Cooperation Bureau, the department which is in charge of the project.
This damaging report further alleges that “there are few very low paid Somali aviation personnel, who are working in the project, but are treated as second class associates. The Somalis are working on pupils visas in Kenya, and there are huge disparities and discrepancies in salaries, benefits and allowances when compared to the Kenyan staff members who are paid, three or four times higher than what the Somalis are getting, though some of them are having higher or equivalent qualifications of their non-Somali counterparts.
The outcome of the conference:
1. To Review and Approve the "Technical Audit Report" to be finalized within 6 weeks.
2. To finalize the selection of the Transitional Technical Team (TTT).
3. Approved Term of Reference (ToR) for both Steering Committee and Transitional Technical Team,
4. It was also agreed upon that all the Somali Staff with CACAS to have for the first time genuine contracts with benefits and pension system.
5. The Secretary General of ICAO re-confirms that he will honor the principles agreed within the Steering Committee by consensus.
And finally it was agreed that an extra ordinary meeting in 6 weeks to be held in Nairobi.
Engineer Mohamed Kamil Olal Diinle and Ahmed Farah (Wii Waa) who spoke with HOL stated that the outcome of the conference was very positive and changes will be made that are beneficial to the Somali civil aviation staff that is currently stationed in Nairobi, Kenya. Both Mr. Olal Diinle and Mr. Farah also held a private discussion with the secretary general of the International Civil Aviation Organization Mr. Raymond Benjamin who assured the outcome of the conference will be implemented; they also discussed the transfer of CACAS to the authority of Somali Government.
The Somali Civil Aviation Steering Committee is comprised of the TFG, Puntland, Somaliland and members of CACAS, UNDP and ICAO/TCB. However, there will be a one Somali civil aviation that will be responsible for the Somali airspace once the management is transferred to the Somali government.
Ahmed Gure, Hiiraan Online
[email protected]