About the Faculty

The Faculty of Law is one of the University’s oldest and most respected faculties, dedicated to educating competent legal professionals who uphold justice, the rule of law and constitutional governance.

The origins of the Faculty date back to 1954, when the Amministrazione Fiduciaria Italiana della Somalia (AFIS) established the Institute of Law as an affiliated institution of the Universities of Rome and Padua. In December 1969, the Institute was officially transformed into the Faculty of Law of Somali National University. With the support of Italian Technical Cooperation, the Faculty became one of the leading centres for legal education in the region, producing generations of judges, lawyers, prosecutors, legal scholars and public officials.

Following the interruption of academic activities during the civil war, the Faculty resumed its mission as part of the reopening of Somali National University.

Today, the Faculty integrates legal theory with practical experience through moot courts, legal research, case studies and community engagement, across constitutional, criminal, civil, commercial and international law, human rights, environmental law and emerging areas such as cyber law and digital governance. In July 2026, 71 of its graduates were among the 237 candidates who passed the Somali Bar Examination.

The Faculty was established in 1954. Its history is summarised in the overview above.

The Faculty works within the vision, mission and core values of Somali National University.