Abbas Abdullahi Sheikh Siraji ( Somali: ''Cabaas Cabdulaahi Sheekh Siraaji'';

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: (عباس عبد الله شيخ سراج) born 8 May 1984 – 3 May 2017) was a Somali politician who briefly served as the Minister of

Public Works Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and procured by a government body for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, ...

and Reconstruction until he was shot dead in Mogadishu in 2017.

Personal life

Born to a prestigious religious family of the

Rahanweyn The Rahanweyn (, Northern Somali, Somali: , ), also known as the Digil and Mirifle () is a major Somali clan. It is one of the major Somali clans in the Horn of Africa, with a large territory in the densely populated fertile valleys of the Jubba ...

clan, Abbas spent an overwhelming majority of his life living in

Dadaab Dadaab () is a semi-arid town in Garissa County, Kenya. It is the site of a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR base hosting 426,822 registered refugees and asylum seekers as of 28 February 2025, in four refugee camp, camps (Daga ...

Refugee Camps. By the age of 5, his parents moved with him and his siblings to Liboi Refugee camps in 1991 and later relocated to Dadaab refugee camp in 1992. Abbass as a bright young kid started his education with Qur'anic Dugsi (school) and completed learning the holy Qur'an before the age of 10. His father was a Sheikh and a respected scholar in the Somali community and so is his grandfather. It wasn't too long before he had a full grasp of the ahadith (prophet's teachings) and the Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence). He started primary school by the then Jack Asiyo Primary School later renamed as Halane Primary School (1994-1998) and proceeded to Midnimo ("Unity") primary school for Upper Primary education (1999-2001). He finished high school at Ifo Secondary School (ISS) in Ifo Camp (Dadaab) in 2005. He later proceeded to Nep Technical Training College (NEP TTC) in

Garissa Garissa ( Arabic: قارسا) is the capital of Garissa County, Kenya. It is situated in the former North Eastern Province. Geography The Tana River, which rises in Mount Kenya east of Nyeri, flows through Garissa. The Bour-Algi Giraffe ...

, NE Kenya. It was at NEP technical where Abbas had his first exposure to politics and was the president of the Students Union. Historically, there has always been a tension between the Somali students and the non-Somali students at Nep Technical. It was Abass that brokered peace between the two teams. He's remembered in his former alma mater as "Abass, the president, the peace maker!" He later joined Kenya Methodist University and then

Moi University Moi University is a public university located in Kesses, Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu county, in the former Rift Valley Province of Kenya. It was established in 1984 by the Moi University Act of the Parliament of Kenya, after recommendations from t ...

to pursue a degree in

Business Administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

. With high hopes and dreams of changing his motherland, Abbas went back to Somalia in 2011 to take a job with the humanitarian agencies working in Somalia. He worked with the likes of

FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition ...

and later fully moved on embarking politics. In 2016 he was selected by an

Electoral college An electoral college is a body whose task is to elect a candidate to a particular office. It is mostly used in the political context for a constitutional body that appoints the head of state or government, and sometimes the upper parliament ...

for the position as MP for

Kismayo Kismayo (, , ; ) is a port city in the southern Lower Juba (Jubbada Hoose) province of Somalia. It is the commercial capital of the autonomous Jubaland region. The city is situated southwest of the capital Mogadishu, near the mouth of the Jub ...

( House of the People) in the current term of the

Federal Parliament of Somalia The Federal Parliament of Somalia (; often ''Baarlamaanka Federaalka Soomaaliya''; ) is the national parliament of Somalia. Formed in August 2012, it is based in the capital Mogadishu and is bicameral, consisting of an Upper House (Senate) and a ...

, otherwise known as the Tenth Parliament.

Minister of Public Works and Reconstruction

On 21 March 2017, Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire named Hon. Siraji as the next Minister of Public Works and Reconstruction. He took office on 4 April during a handover ceremony at the Ministry of Public Works, making him the youngest ever cabinet member at age 31. In his short period as a public works minister, Abass implemented far more projects than the entire cabinet combined. This made him the most popular and one of the most loved politicians in Somalia. According to the Ministry of Public Works and Reconstruction website, Hon. Abass was in office for only one month but has done more than 30 months of tasks/work.

Death

Initial reports suggested that Siraji was shot and killed on 3 May 2017, when soldiers on a patrol opened fire as he drove his vehicle near the Villa Somalia. The circumstances of the shooting were not immediately clear. Media reports said the soldiers may have perceived Siraji's vehicle as a threat. A number of people have been reportedly arrested in connection with his death. Later reports have indicated that Siraji was traveling in his car behind a vehicle convoy bearing the

Auditor General An auditor general, also known in some countries as a comptroller general or comptroller and auditor general, is a senior civil servant charged with improving government accountability by auditing and reporting on the government's operations. Freq ...

Nur Jimale Farah, when the bodyguards of the latter apparently somehow mistook Siraji's car for a VBIED being driven by a suicide bomber targeting the Auditor General and so opened fire on it. The minister received a full

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...

the day after his killing, attended by President

Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (, ; born March 11, 1962), also known as Farmaajo, is a Somali politician who served as president of Somalia from 2017 to 2022. He was Prime Minister of Somalia, prime minister of Somalia for six months, from Novembe ...

and Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire along with other senior figures.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Siraji, Abbas Abdullahi Sheikh 1985 births 2017 deaths Kenya Methodist University alumni Moi University alumni Kismayo Public works ministers of Somalia Deaths by firearm in Somalia Friendly fire incidents People from Lower Juba