Africa-Press – Gambia. The Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) has come under intense scrutiny barely two months after Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda announced his intention to contest the upcoming Presidential election. Some KMC residents have raised concerned over mounting waste problems and the stalling of D180million park project.
Reliable sources close to the council have confirmed that at least eleven Mbalit waste collection trucks are currently grounded at the KMC Annex in Kanifing. The Council is also reportedly facing internal wranglings, including delays in disbursing D300,000 Ward Development Funds (WDF) to certain UDP councillors, and questions surrounding the D180 million Kanifing Environmental Transformational Program (KETP).
Residents of KMC have voiced frustration over mounting waste in neighbourhoods, the reported grounding of collection trucks, and the poor state of the Bakoteh Dumping Site.
An insider, speaking on condition of anonymity, said more than ten Mbalit trucks have been parked at the KMC Annex for over two months awaiting repairs. This, he says, has disrupted waste collection services, caused financial losses for the Council, and contributed to waste accumulation in several wards, including Dippa Kunda, Cape Point, Bakau, Bundung, Faji Kunda, Kotu, and Bakoteh.
Regarding the D180 million KETP Project, a source familiar with the program said the initiative, funded by KMC and the EU, was intended to modernize seven recreational parks, including Bakau Park, Buffer Zone Park, Kotu UN@75 Park, Bakoteh Park, and Abuko Park. Each park was reportedly budgeted at D3.5 million.
However, the source noted that only three parks—Bakau, Tallinding, and Kotu have been completed, with less than D500,000 spent on each. He called on the Council to clarify how the allocated funds were used and why the remaining parks have not yet been started.
Political tensions have also surfaced following Mayor Bensuda’s departure from the UDP to form the Unite Movement for Change (UMC). Sources say some UDP councillors have not received their Ward Development Funds, while councillors supporting the Mayor have reportedly received theirs.
Baba Jabbie, Ward Councillor for Faji Kunda and member of the KMC Development Committee, confirmed the grounding of eleven Mbalit trucks. He said maintenance has been commissioned through Espace Motor Company, with repairs expected to be completed by December.
Councillor Jabbie confirmed that three parks—Bakau, Kotu, and Tallinding—have been completed but could not confirm progress on the remaining four or the funds spent on them.
Councillor Lamin Darboe clarified that the reorganization of councilors’ WhatsApp groups, following Bensuda’s UMC formation, is meant to maintain cordial working relationships and not to create friction.
Pa Sait Ceesay, KMC Chief Executive Officer, downplayed claims of widespread truck outages, stating that only two trucks are currently under maintenance. He added that all Mbalit trucks, after seven years of service, are due for general maintenance, and the Council has paid over D6 million for this work.
On the issue of the KETP parks, CEO Ceesay said the Council plans to build four recreational parks, not seven, with a total budget of D6.32 million, contradicting earlier claims. He also addressed salary delays, noting that payments are typically late between September and December due to reduced council revenue during the lean season.
A visit by this reporter to the KMC Annex confirmed over ten trucks parked at the complex, with mechanics working on at least two vehicles. Staff on-site declined to comment on the trucks, including the reportedly grounded New Jeswang/Ebo Mbalit truck.
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