Somalia: The Insurance Agony in the Streets of Mogadishu

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Friday February 05, 2021 - 12:19:26 in Latest News by Super Admin
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    Somalia: The Insurance Agony in the Streets of Mogadishu

    Motor insurance is an important protection for not just the car but for the owner's financial liability as well. Before 1991, it was a requirement for every vehicle in Mogadishu to possess a road tax certificate, insurance policy, and MOT.

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Screenshot photo/Horn Observer
Motor insurance is an important protection for not just the car but for the owner's financial liability as well. Before 1991, it was a requirement for every vehicle in Mogadishu to possess a road tax certificate, insurance policy, and MOT.

Surprisingly, 30 years later, these legislative requirements have barely been adhered to and motorists are seen roaming the streets of Mogadishu uninsured. If two vehicles (one licensed and the other not) are involved in an accident, the unlicensed one bears responsibility for the damages and repairs the licensed car. If both parties have a license, based on the details of the accident, the fault will fix the other driver’s car. In case of human casualty, seldom than not, the car bears the blame.

According to the monthly accident reports, automobile accidents are classified into three categories: Private cars – Rickshaw and Military accidents.

Table 1: Total number of Road Traffic Accidents in Mogadishu from 2013 Through 2018

Years

Private car

Rickshaw

Military

TOTAL

2013

2051

146

191

2388

2014

2407

217

116

2740

2015

2286

377

115

2778

2016

2084

424

105

2613

2017

2295

647

103

3045

Total

11123

1811

630

13564

Sources: Traffic Police

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



n three consecutive years (2014, 2015, 2016) the total number of military traffic accidents decreased, but this was followed by a slight increase in the following year (2017). From the statistics and data available, the highest military accidents in the last five consecutive years were either caused by or involving the police force.

An accident is considered fatal if it results in a fatality(s). As seen in table 3 below, the number of traffic road accidents resulting into minor injuries have been increasing gradually between 2013 and 2016 save for 2017. Moreover, though there was an increasing trend of accidents resulting to serious injuries observed between 2013 and 2014, this decreased noticeably in 2015, and then back on an upward trend between 2016 and 2017.

It is evident that road users (motorists) have in recent times resorted to road-side resolution of insurance related disputes; often than not, those involved fail to agree on who should bear the fault. Insurance companies stand out as one of the biggest losers in this by losing out on policies that would have otherwise been sold. On the other hand, the state has lost massive amounts of taxes on missed revenue.

Source: GSM Business Solutions and can be reached via [email protected] 






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