EU pay stipends to 6,800 Somalia Police Officers

Nairobi, 23 February 2017 - As part of the long-standing commitment from the European Union to financially support the Somali security sector, some 6,800 men and women of the Somali Police Force received a stipend (salary top up) payment last week.

The EU Head of Delegation and Ambassador to Somalia Veronique Lorenzo said "the EU is contributing these stipends in order to ensure that police officers are adequately compensated for providing increased security, law and order. This is a sign of strong support for President Farmajoo's priorities. As the provision of a regular and accountable salary payment is the responsibility of the government, we will be discussing with the government how we match salaries and stipends in the future."

The EU stipends are paid from the Central Bank of Somalia directly to the bank accounts of the individual police officers, making the delivery of the stipends faster, more transparent and more accountable. This initiative supports progress made on the security sector reform agenda, which the Federal Government of Somalia has committed to and which aims to build effective and transparent administrative systems within the security sector.

The payment system reduces loopholes for misappropriation and enables the funds to be efficiently used and accounted for. Monitoring and technical capacity building and advice is provided by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), thus ensuring that robust fiduciary controls are in place.