Local govt ministry employs 81 political staff, minister says
He said the political appointees were not limited to the capital but also stationed in atoll units of the ministry.
The Ministry of Cities, Local Governance and Public Works currently employs 81 political staff, according to Minister Adam Shareef Umar.
The ministry was established by the current administration with a stated aim of supporting local councils and enhancing rural public services.
Minister Adam Shareef provided the figure during a response to a question raised at a meeting of the Decentralisation Committee on Monday. He said the political appointees were not limited to the capital but also stationed in atoll units of the ministry.
“The ministry's public works units in the provinces will also have political employees. There will also be political employees in the city. There are currently 81 employees,” the minister said.
The total number of political appointees in the government remains unclear, as no comprehensive figure has been released. So far, information has been provided by individual ministries. The Ministry of Cities, Local Governance and Public Works is widely believed to have the highest number of political staff.
In the period before the current administration took office, the President-elect’s Office Spokesperson, Mohamed Firzul Abdulla Khaleel, had stated that President Dr Mohamed Muizzu would limit the number of political appointments to 700.
However, based on figures disclosed by various ministries and the President’s Office, the number of political appointees had surpassed 1,100 as of May 2024. This total does not include appointees in some ministries or political staff assigned to the Muliaage presidential residence.
