Cameras and television studio equipment, intended to enhance the state television’s capabilities, were stolen by two senior officials of the Ministry of Information, according to a whistleblower within the television studio.

This new development exposes the corruption and misuse of valuable resources meant to empower the country’s media and information dissemination. The stolen equipment includes three Sonny PXW-Z150 4K XDCAM CAMRECORDER and three Blackmagic Studio Camera HD cameras, all part of a generous donation from Finland facilitated in 2019 through VIKES Media Development, a Finnish NGO partnered with the Ministry of Information.

One of the technicians who spoke to Kaab TV recounted seeing the television director and another man from the Deputy Minister’s office at the studio while he was on duty early this month. "They ordered me to leave and after 20 minutes, they emerged from the studio with the big studio cameras donated by the Finnish government to SNTV and went straight to the office of the television director,” he said.

The equipment never returned back.

The value of the missing equipment is estimated to be worth tens of thousands of dollars.

The revelation comes after the Auditor General’s Office recently initiated an investigation into the theft of FM radio transmitters, which were also taken from the state radio premises and sold on the black market by senior officials.

The FM radio transmitters were originally donated by the United Nations to the Ministry of Information several years ago.

Whistleblowers from SNTV have identified the current Director of SNTV, Mohamed Kaafi Abukar, as a co-director of CAFIS, an organization affiliated with the Ministry of Information.

According to insiders, CAFIS has rented a private television studio on behalf of Wali Media Production in the city,, where the stolen equipment is believed to be kept.  Somalia's VIKES representative  Wali Hashi is founder the CAFIS program and the owner of Wali Media productions and both are affiliated and recieve funds from VIKES.

The Ministry of Information has been at the center of allegations related to embezzlement of public funds and fraudulent activities.

The General Prosecutor’s Office announced the arrest of officials from the Ministry of Information on June 22, 2023, on charges of theft and fraud. Investigations are ongoing against two other officials from the Ministry for alleged involvement in embezzlement and fraud.

The implications of this scandal are significant, as it comes at a time when the Somali government claims to be engaged in combating corruption and mismanagement of public resources.

Somalia has been ranked as the most corrupt country in the world by Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. The rampant corruption, combined with terrorism and armed conflict, has created a breeding ground for graft and abuse of power.

Despite requests for comments, both SNTV Director Mohamed Kaafi Abukar and Deputy Minister of Information Abdirahman Yusuf (also known as Al-Adaala) have remained silent on the matter. Al-Adaala, who is reportedly associated with CAFIS, a partner of SNTV and VIKES according to its website, has not provided any response.

This revelation raises serious concerns about the misuse of foreign aid meant to bolster government institutions in Somalia at the expense of international taxpayers’ funds.

"The misappropriation of these donated resources not only undermines the efforts to promote transparency and accountability but also hampers the operations of the state media in informing the public,” says a former SNTV director Farah Dharaar who left his position when the Finland donations arrived.