Introduction
Hargeisa, the capital city of Somaliland, is the political, economic, and cultural center of the nation. It covers an area of 180 km², divided into nine districts, and lies at an elevation of 1,334 meters above sea level. Today, the city’s population is estimated at around 1.8 million people, making it one of the fastest-growing urban centers in the Horn of Africa. Rapid urbanization has brought growth opportunities but has also placed significant pressure on infrastructure, public services, and governance.
The city’s infrastructure remains critically underdeveloped relative to its size and importance. According to Eng. Mouktar Ali (2025), Hargeisa has a road network of 118 roads totaling 253 kilometers, combining paved and unpaved surfaces. However, many of these roads are poorly designed, lack drainage systems, and fail to meet international standards. Beyond transport, the city faces deep deficits in healthcare and public services, with a shortage of at least 30 maternal and healthcare facilities and around 15 police stations. These gaps weaken both social services and community resilience.
Youth, who represent the majority of Hargeisa’s population, face particular challenges due to limited infrastructure. With a shortage of public playgrounds and recreational spaces, many children and young people are forced to play football on roads or on rented private playgrounds, often at risk of accidents. Education infrastructure is similarly strained: in several parts of the city, one cannot find a sequence of 8 kilometers containing any government-run primary or secondary schools. This reflects the absence of a systematic approach to educational infrastructure development in line with the city’s rapid population growth.
Urban planning challenges compound these problems. Poor electrical infrastructure, with widespread overhead power cables, has contributed to frequent market and residential fires, causing loss of life and destruction of property. In addition, inadequate zoning, unregulated settlements, and weak enforcement of construction standards have produced urban sprawl, traffic congestion, and unsafe living conditions. These realities underscore the urgent need for Hargeisa to adopt a coordinated infrastructure development strategy that addresses not only roads, but also healthcare, education, electricity, safety, and recreation.
Over the past 34 years of independence, Hargeisa has been led by 12 mayors, each contributing to the city’s infrastructure in varying degrees. While recent years have seen improvements in road expansion, the overall condition of infrastructure across sectors including roads, healthcare, education, and recreation remains below the standards expected of a modern capital city. This report explores the progress made, the leadership transitions, the current infrastructure situation, and the reforms necessary to transform Hargeisa into a resilient and sustainable city.
2 – Historical Overview of Leadership and Infrastructure
Hargeisa’s mayoral history illustrates both the challenges and opportunities of municipal governance. Between 1991 and 2003, the city had eight mayors, most serving for only one to two years. These were: Barre Nuux Xaaji C/laahi (1991–1992), Cumar Boobe (1992–1993), Maxamed Xaashi Cilmi (1994–1996), Muuse Maxamed Yuusuf (1996–1997), Cali Xasan Maxamuud ‘Cali Asad’ (1997–1999), C/raxmaan Ismaaciil Cadami (1999–2000), Cawl Cilmi Cabdalle (2000–2002), and Axmed Maxamed Maxamuud ‘Axmed Dheere’ (2002–2003). The brevity of their mandates meant that long-term infrastructure planning was virtually impossible, and projects were often fragmented or abandoned.
From 2003 to 2012, Xuseen Maxamuud Jiciir served nearly a decade, providing relative stability. His leadership marked the first attempt at structured road expansion, although financing and technical standards remained weak. His administration built several key roads but struggled to keep up with the city’s rapid urban growth.
In January 2013, Yuusuf Warsame Siciid was elected mayor but unfortunately passed away after only four months in office. He was succeeded by C/raxmaan Caydiid Soltelco, who served from 2013 until July 2021. Soltelco’s period marked the most consistent road expansion in Hargeisa’s history, though issues of design quality, sustainability, and limited resources persisted.
The current mayor, Cabdikariin Axmed Mooge, elected in May 2021, has overseen significant achievements in road development, introducing 104 kilometers of new or rehabilitated roads within four and a half years. This equates to approximately 26 kilometers per year, or three kilometers per district annually. While this represents an unprecedented improvement in municipal delivery capacity, it remains insufficient compared to international standards for capital cities of similar size and importance.
3 – Current State of Infrastructure
Today, Hargeisa’s road network reflects both progress and systemic limitations. Out of the 253 kilometers of roadways, only a fraction meet basic engineering standards. Many paved roads lack proper base and sub-base layers, leading to early deterioration under traffic loads. Unpaved roads dominate large sections of the network, exposing residents to dust during dry seasons and mud during rains, while drainage deficiencies frequently cause flooding and road damage.
The City Council’s achievement of implementing 104 kilometers of roads in four and a half years is commendable. However, these projects have often been undertaken with limited feasibility studies, geotechnical investigations, or compliance with internationally recognized design standards. The result is that many roads, although newly constructed, do not achieve long service life. Internationally, well-engineered roads are expected to last 15–20 years, while in Hargeisa, premature road failures are common within 2–3 years.
At the district level, the pace of infrastructure expansion is particularly low. With three kilometers added per district per year, large parts of the city remain underserved. Road connectivity between districts is inconsistent, and major commercial hubs face persistent congestion. The lack of pedestrian walkways, traffic management systems, and road safety measures further undermines the usability and inclusiveness of Hargeisa’s infrastructure.
The city’s geographical location and elevation also create challenges. At 1,334 meters above sea level, Hargeisa experiences unique hydrological conditions requiring effective storm water management systems. Unfortunately, drainage infrastructure has not kept pace with road construction, leaving many roads vulnerable to erosion and flood damage during the rainy season.
4 – Lack of Proper Planning and Prioritization in the Last 13 Years
Over the last 13 years, Hargeisa has made visible progress in expanding its road network and urban services, but the city has consistently struggled with poor planning and weak prioritization of infrastructure projects. Many developments have been carried out reactively, responding to immediate pressures rather than being guided by a comprehensive long-term urban development plan. As a result, projects are often fragmented, poorly located, and unable to serve the broader needs of the city.
One major issue has been the absence of a city-wide masterplan that aligns infrastructure investment with population growth, land use, and economic activities. Roads have been constructed without proper integration into a transport system that connects residential areas with markets, industrial zones, and social services. Some projects have even been implemented in locations that do not correspond to the city’s most urgent needs, leaving heavily populated districts underserved while less critical areas receive investments.
The lack of prioritization criteria has further weakened efficiency. Instead of systematically addressing healthcare facilities, schools, drainage, and electricity alongside roads, Hargeisa has often allocated limited funds to projects with high political visibility but little long-term impact. For example, while road paving has increased in certain districts, many neighborhoods still lack maternal health centers, adequate policing facilities, and fire protection infrastructure. This imbalance has left communities vulnerable despite heavy investment in certain sectors.
Finally, weak institutional capacity and political pressures have limited the effectiveness of urban planning. Without technical bodies to evaluate project locations, environmental impacts, and social needs, decision-making has frequently been influenced by short-term goals or donor-driven agendas. This has prevented Hargeisa from fully leveraging its resources to achieve balanced, equitable, and resilient infrastructure growth. If not corrected, these challenges will continue to undermine the city’s ability to serve its population of 1.8 million and prepare for the next decades of expansion.
5 – Hargeisa’s Drainage and Flood Management Challenges
Hargeisa faces persistent infrastructure problems during the rainy season, primarily due to inadequate drainage systems and weak flood control mechanisms. Despite the city’s favorable slope of 54 meters, ranging from an elevation of 1,334 meters at the highest point to 1,280 meters at the lowest, storm water does not drain efficiently across the urban landscape. This is largely because of human-induced and planning-related challenges that obstruct natural water flows. The following are the primary challenges hindering the city’s progress toward achieving resilient flood control and sustainable drainage management.
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Absence of a Comprehensive Stormwater Drainage Master Plan
A major obstacle to effective flood management in Hargeisa is the lack of an integrated master plan for stormwater drainage. Without a city-wide framework mapping natural water flows, flood-prone areas, and suitable infrastructure (such as culverts, retention basins, and storm channels), rainfall is left to follow uncontrolled paths. This causes flooding in urban roads, schools, markets, and community spaces. Current drainage efforts are fragmented and reactive; each neighborhood improvises temporary fixes that fail to solve the systemic issue. -
Rapid Urbanization without Supporting Infrastructure
Hargeisa’s fast urban growth has far exceeded its infrastructure development. As new buildings and roads emerge, many are constructed on or across natural water paths, creating physical barriers that prevent normal drainage. This unregulated expansion traps rainwater in low-lying areas, resulting in recurrent flash floods. -
Poor Solid Waste Management
Inadequate solid waste collection and disposal systems are aggravating Hargeisa’s flooding problem. Many residents dispose of garbage in open drains and riverbeds, which clogs natural water channels and leads to stagnant water, road erosion, and overflows. -
Limited Technical and Institutional Capacity
The city’s ability to design and manage sustainable drainage infrastructure is severely constrained by limited technical expertise and coordination. -
Inadequate Funding and Dependence on Donors
Most infrastructure budgets prioritize roads and electricity, leaving drainage as an afterthought. The heavy reliance on donor funding creates short-term and fragmented interventions. -
Climate Change and Increasing Rainfall Variability
Erratic rainfall and intense storms increasingly overwhelm Hargeisa’s fragile drainage systems, highlighting the need for climate-resilient infrastructure. -
Encroachment on Natural Drainage Paths
Unregulated construction on dry riverbeds and valleys has blocked stormwater flow, causing severe flooding of surrounding neighborhoods.
6 – Key Challenges Facing Hargeisa Infrastructure
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Governance instability (12 mayors in 34 years) disrupting continuity.
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Severe financing constraints and donor dependency.
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Weak technical standards and quality control.
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Rapid unplanned urbanization.
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Climate and environmental vulnerability.
7 – Conclusion
After 34 years of independence, Hargeisa stands at a crossroads. The city’s growth demonstrates resilience and ambition but remains fragile without coordinated, long-term planning. The recurring challenges of poor drainage, weak technical standards, and underfunded public services reveal a city striving to modernize without the necessary institutional tools.
To secure its future, Hargeisa must shift from reactive governance to strategic investment, establish a planning authority, adopt a master plan, enforce zoning, strengthen capacity, and embed climate resilience.
8 – Recommendations
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Establish a Hargeisa Infrastructure and Planning Authority (HIPA)
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Develop a Comprehensive Urban Master Plan
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Improve Infrastructure Financing and create a Municipal Fund
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Enforce Urban Zoning and Drainage Protection Measures
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Strengthen Technical Capacity and Quality Control
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Prioritize Drainage and Flood Management
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Expand Social Infrastructure (health, education, recreation)
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Adopt Climate-Resilient Urban Design