The decentralisation of authority, responsibilities and resources from central government to subnational governments has been encouraged in the developing world as a way of enhancing public service delivery, increasing accountability and meeting diversity. Somalia's provisional constitution provides for a federal structure with local government as an entity, although the powers and position of the capital city of Mogadishu is still not clear, and the Benadir Regional Administration has limited autonomy. This narrative literature review investigates the theoretical underpinning and empirical research about decentralisation and local government performance, and reflect on its implication for Mogadishu. The review separates political, administrative and fiscal decentralisation and the different forms of decentralisation, such as deconcentration, delegation and devolution and presents the main theories, ranging from the tradition of fiscal federalism to theories of participation and accountability. Evidence shows that decentralisation can enhance local government responsiveness to local needs, but that it will be effective if its fiscal resources are sufficient, its administrative capacity is adequate, local government has genuine downward accountability to citizens, and central– local government relations is effective. If these conditions are lacking, however, then decentralisation can lead to unfunded mandates to local governments, to the capture of political power by the elite, and to fragmented service delivery. Decentralisation can be an enabling practice in fragile and conflict affected contexts that can allow for the recognition of diversity and local legitimacy, but can also reinforce local power holders. In the literature, Mogadishu's constitutional status as a capital city, a greater understanding of the role of own-source revenue and fiscal transfers, and a continued shift toward elected and accountable district councils, are identified as critical factors for decentralisation to have a meaningful impact on local government performance. There are identified gaps in the evidence, including a lack of empirical research on south-central Somalia's local governance.

Abdikarim Sh Mohamed,"Decentralisation and Local Government Performance: A Narrative Literature Review with Implications for Mogadishu, Somalia" International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Research and Educational Development, V2(5): Page(677-683) September - October 2026. ISSN: 3107-6513. www.ijamred.com. Published by Scientific and Academic Research Publishing.