Africa-Press – Gambia. The mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council Talib Ahmed Bensouda yesterday defended the council’s appointment process as he continues his testimony at the Local Government Commission of Inquiry.
The mayor was questioned about the appointments of a lawyer for the council and staff members, including Isatou Faal, Nurudeen Adams and Babucarr Jammeh.
In his explanation, Bensouda told the commission that the council had initially considered three legal professionals, Yasin Senghore, Moses B Johnson-Richards and MB Ronke Jani Jagana, but Mrs Senghor ultimately got the job.
However Lead Counsel Gomez raised eye brows over the appointment of Senghore, who he said, had prior affiliations with the council.
Counsel Gomez also brought the issue of the absence of a Request for Proposal (RFP), a requirement under the GPPA regulations for procurement of consulting services.
In reply, Bensouda, while familiar with the council’s processes, admitted a lack of detailed knowledge regarding the RFP process.
But he maintained that the establishment committee of the council had been tasked with the selection, and their recommendation of Mrs Senghore was subsequently approved by the general council.
However, the inquiry suggested a potential violation of procurement regulations, particularly the lack of GPPA approval which the mayor agreed to.
“I know for sure there was no GPPA approval,” he said.
The inquiry then shifted to the appointments of Nurudeen Adams as protocol officer and Isatou Faal as public affairs manager.
The mayor acknowledged prior relationships with both individuals, with Ms Faal having worked for his company and assisting in his campaign, and Mr Adams being part of his campaign team.
The mayor stated that by policy, he referred all potential employees to the establishment or HR departments but never provide them a list for them to employ.
“I think it’s incorrect to say I gave HR a list. When I won election, hundreds if not thousands of people wanted to work at KMC. I referred all of them to the HR or the chairperson of the establishment committee. If I had my way, I would personally ensure that all of those people were employed but I don’t have that power under the law,” Bensouda said.
On the position of Ms Isatou Faal, the Lead Counsel argued that her qualification of just a certificate is not ideal for a position of manager on Grade 10.1.
Besounda counter argued that there are two ways of hiring, direct entry and indirect entry.
“I believe if you have the prerequisite experience, sometimes you are appointed to a grade above the qualification on condition that you seek further education. Based on discussions, I had at the general council a big debate ensured about Isatou as to whether the qualification matched the experience. I think the councillors voted that given the experience and the track record, they would approve that she continues in the position subject to further education,” Mayor Bensouda explained.
Lead Counsel however argued that Ms Faal never held the position of a manager prior to this so the experience should perhaps, if applicable, suggest that she had been a manager in institutions and had performed this role for a period of time.
He asked the mayor what position Ms Faal held when she was working in his company and the mayor said she was the marketing and sales manager.
“I think her testimony is different with respect to what her position was, but we can always confirm that,” Counsel Gomez said.
In the case of Adama Jammeh, believed to be his uncle, Bensouda said the man has been working at KMC since 1988.
On Babucarr Jammeh, Bensouda said: “He was initially employed by the council but I told him to resign and offered him another job at my NGO.”
When asked if these relationships constituted a conflict of interest, the mayor claimed there was no conflict, stating that he had referred these individuals to the Establishment Committee or HR as per procedure and had no direct involvement in their appointments.
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