We shall initiate comprehensive reforms within governmental institutions, ensuring they are robust, efficient, and accountable. Meritocracy will be observed through implementation of merit-based public office appointments and regular performance evaluations for public servants, and promotion of efficiency and integrity within the system.

We will empower Parliament – as the foundational branch of government - to discharge its legislation and oversight duties and to hold the Executive accountable.

This will be done by enacting and enforcing legislation that guarantees parliament’s autonomy, safeguarding it from undue influence or interference from external entities. Further, we shall work with Parliament to ensure a system of checks and balances in and outside the House, ensuring transparency and public’s access to information. We will work with parliamentary committees, empowering them to conduct thorough investigations into matters of public concern, holding the Executive and other arms of the government accountable. This will also entail establishing a robust system for regular reporting by the Executive to Parliament, ensuring transparency in government actions and expenditures.

An independent Judiciary is the cornerstone of any democracy and sound governance. Free courts ensure that everyone in society plays by the same rules, including the rich and powerful. It entrenches the rule of law and has a place for each individual in that, it treats all people in the same way. It is expected to ensure that the high and the low, the often viewed as mighty and the weak in society are equal in the eyes of the law. Such system promotes justice for all, ensures the rights of all are respected & upheld, and none is discriminated against when administering justice. The rule of law not only ensures that individuals are held accountable, but all organs of government are expected to uphold and dispense justice in a legally acceptable manner.  If the judiciary is controlled by other branches of government, it undermines and weakens the people’s fundamental rights. Unfortunately, this has been a frequent phenomenon happening in our State, and the whole country, where the Executive often exercised control over judiciary, undermining its independence and impartial administration of justice.

Our government aims to support a fully functional Judiciary that is characterised by independence from other arms of government, impartiality, and with the highest integrity. We will reform and empower the Judiciary to facilitate transparent access to justice, in accordance with the Constitution. Overly, we hope to instil public legitimacy, confidence, trust and respect for the system.

Priorities for justice reforms are highlighted below:

1. i) Comprehensive Legal Review & Amendments: We plan to conduct a thorough review of existing laws, identify outdated or inconsistent legislation, and amend them to align them with constitutional principles and international best practices. We shall support the drafting and submission of new laws to Parliament, with special focus on: rule of law, justice, human rights, and democratic elections.

As the first step towards these reforms, we will commission the crafting of a Strategic Plan for the Judiciary to upstart the reform agenda and put in place a 5-year Plan for the Puntland Judiciary.

1. ii) Judicial Reforms: We will render support to the Puntland judicial system and enable reforms in the human and financial architecture. These will include providing competitive remuneration packages to attract and retain skilled judges/judicial officials, enhancing infrastructure, staffing, and resourcing of district and specialized courts enabling them to efficiently handle cases at the grassroots levels and address specific legal domains. We will support Puntland courts system to invest in continuous training and capacity-building programs as well as establish specialized training programs for judges and other legal staff. This will be done through promotion of mentorship programmes. Specifically, the trainings will be implemented through the Judiciary Training Institute (JTI). To ensure high integrity and competence in the judiciary, selection of personnel will be based on meritocracy.

Through an Enhanced Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS), judgements will be digitised, published and made available to all parties as well as for use by any interested parties, for example in academia.

Remuneration of judicial personnel will be reviewed and addressed accordingly to attract, motivate and retain the best qualified legal and professional staff.

iii) Legislation and Regulatory Framework: This will entail strengthening the legislation and regulatory framework governing judicial processes, ensuring procedural fairness, transparency, and swift resolution of cases. We will facilitate public awareness campaigns to educate citizens of their legal rights, the judicial process, and the avenues available for legal recourse.

1. iv) International Cooperation: We will support the collaboration with international legal experts and organizations to incorporate global best practices in the judicial system, enhancing the efficiency and credibility of the Puntland legal framework.

Further, we will be part of the international system of judicial outlay, appending signatures to international instruments such as laws, treaties and agreements. We shall ensure such binding contracts are friendly and respect the rights and duties of our citizens.

1. v) Infrastructural Development: We shall put in place an ambitious infrastructural development to ensure regions, districts and communities have access to justice as to when and where demanded. We shall fund building of new courts, rehabilitation of existing structures, installing offices for staff and staffing them accordingly.