Eng. Abdullahi Mohamed Samatar is a Civil Engineer by profession with vast experience spanning 29 years in the engineering field.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree (BSc.) in Civil Engineering from the University of Nairobi (UON) in 1987. He later joined the Kenya Ports Authority as a Trainee Civil Engineer and rose through the ranks to become the Chief Civil Engineer in May 1999. In 2008, he was promoted to the position of Technical Services Manager and translated to the position of General Manager Infrastructure Development (GMID) in 2011 which places him in charge of major projects at Kenya Ports Authority. Among the major projects that he has implemented under his stewardship are the Construction of the New Maritime Control Tower, Construction of Berth 19, the Second Container Terminal and the on-going Development of the Second Port at Lamu.

He is a Registered Professional Engineer and a member of the Institute of Engineers of Kenya (IEK). He has also been a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and also a Board Member of the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) since 2012.​