Africa-Press – Gambia. Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) Mayor, Talib Ahmed Bensouda admitted on Wednesday to lapses in oversight regarding council funds.
This, he says, is particularly in relation to youth political training activities. Bensouda made the remarks during continuation of his testimony before the Local Government Commission of Inquiry.
Under questioning by lead counsel Patrick Gomez, Mayor Bensouda acknowledged that requests from councilors for activities requiring council resources including financial, human, and material support were often sent directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) instead of being routed through the mayor’s office as required. He described this as a procedural gap that created pressure on administrative staff and risked irregularities in fund disbursement.
“Whenever a councilor requests an activity that requires council resources, it should first come to the mayor’s office for assessment,” Mayor Bensouda explained. “I approve the activity, not the payment. The CEO ultimately determines whether funds are authorized.”
The controversy centers on a youth political training program led by councillor Kemo Bojang, for which the youth office requested D26,500 from the mayor’s office. The funds were intended to train 150 youths over three days on good governance, leadership, and political participation, with resource persons from the Westminster Foundation.
Mayor Bensouda confirmed that he had endorsed the activity as valuable but emphasized he did not have the authority to approve payments directly. “I assess the merit of the activity and advise on the amounts if they appear excessive. But it is the CEO’s role to authorize the financial disbursement,” he stated.
He further explained that prior lapses were compounded by council committees failing to advise on whether donations and grants constituted part of council revenue, and by ministries and external oversight bodies not intervening when procedural errors occurred. “If everyone fails, then it becomes a total system failure,” he remarked, calling the incidents “lapses” rather than deliberate mismanagement.
To mitigate such challenges, Mayor Bensouda highlighted the creation of the Ward Development Committee (WDC) fund, designed to allow councillors to carry out community activities in a controlled manner without directly drawing on council resources.
The mayor’s testimony underscores persistent challenges in local governance, particularly in the oversight of public funds, and has reignited calls for tighter financial management and accountability within KMC.
The inquiry continues, with lead counsel probing further into procedural compliance and the council’s handling of grants, donations, and internally generated revenue.
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