{"id":52116,"date":"2024-01-29T07:25:26","date_gmt":"2024-01-29T07:25:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations"},"modified":"2024-01-29T08:20:24","modified_gmt":"2024-01-29T08:20:24","slug":"mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations","title":{"rendered":"Mystery Surrounds Kuntaur Area Council Chairman\u2019s Prolonged Absence Amid Growing Speculations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>The Kuntaur Area Council is currently grappling with the unexplained and prolonged absence of its Chairperson, Saihou Jawara, who left for the United States in September 2023 for what was supposed to be a 14-day official conference. Four months have passed, and the chairman remains in the United States, causing widespread speculation and confusion.<\/b><\/p>\n

The saga began when the CEO of the council returned to the Gambia immediately after the conference, leaving Jawara behind. When questioned by the press about his extended stay, the chairman claimed to be engaged in meetings with potential investors in the United States, exploring opportunities for various sectors within his jurisdiction.<\/p>\n

However, concerns escalated when the council passed a resolution demanding Jawara\u2019s return within 14 days. The deadline has since expired, and the chairman has yet to return, leaving many in the community and political circles baffled.<\/p>\n

Reporters, seeking clarity, turned to the deputy chairman and the CEO, only to find their explanations added more confusion to the situation. Frustrated with the lack of transparency, press decided to delve deeper, reaching out to sources within the Ministry of Local Government, Lands, and Religious Affairs.<\/p>\n

According to these sources, the ministry is aware of Jawara\u2019s absence and has sent a letter urging him to return promptly, warning that his salary could be withheld if he fails to comply. The finance team was allegedly instructed to carry out this measure, although it remains uncertain whether this directive has been implemented. Notably, the council was reportedly not copied on this communication.<\/p>\n

Addressing the potential removal of the chairperson, sources within the ministry pointed to Section 20(1)(2) of the Local Government Act of 2002. This section outlines a political process for the removal of a chairperson, placing the responsibility squarely on the council\u2019s shoulders. The council, according to the ministry, has the authority to pass a vote of no confidence or follow the outlined process in the Local Government Act if the chairperson is found derelict in their duties.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have a chairman who is not around, you remove him. All we can do is to provide an oversight function, but it is left to the council to take steps to remove the chairman,\u201d stated an anonymous source within the ministry.<\/p>\n

With the ball now back in the Kuntaur Area Council\u2019s court, Section 20(1) of the Local Government Act of 2002 specifies the grounds for removal, including abuse of office, corruption, misconduct, or physical or mental incapacity preventing the discharge of duties.<\/p>\n

As the mystery deepens, residents and stakeholders anxiously await clarity on the fate of the absent chairperson and how the council will navigate this unprecedented situation.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. The Kuntaur Area Council is currently grappling with the unexplained and prolonged absence of its Chairperson, Saihou Jawara, who left for the United States in September 2023 for what was supposed to be a 14-day official conference. Four months have passed, and the chairman remains in the United States, causing widespread speculation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":52115,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[2355,2361,260],"class_list":["post-52116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-gambia","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nMystery Surrounds Kuntaur Area Council Chairman\u2019s Prolonged Absence Amid Growing Speculations - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Kuntaur Area Council is currently grappling with the unexplained and prolonged absence of its Chairperson, Saihou ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mystery Surrounds Kuntaur Area Council Chairman\u2019s Prolonged Absence Amid Growing Speculations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Kuntaur Area Council is currently grappling with the unexplained and prolonged absence of its Chairperson, Saihou ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-29T07:25:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-29T08:20:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2024\/01\/sm_1706503573.925116.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"696\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"412\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Mystery Surrounds Kuntaur Area Council Chairman\u2019s Prolonged Absence Amid Growing Speculations\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-29T07:25:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-29T08:20:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations\"},\"wordCount\":462,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2024\/01\/sm_1706503573.925116.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Gambia\",\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations\",\"name\":\"Mystery Surrounds Kuntaur Area Council Chairman\u2019s Prolonged Absence Amid Growing Speculations - Gambia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2024\/01\/sm_1706503573.925116.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-29T07:25:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-29T08:20:24+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"The Kuntaur Area Council is currently grappling with the unexplained and prolonged absence of its Chairperson, Saihou ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2024\/01\/sm_1706503573.925116.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2024\/01\/sm_1706503573.925116.jpg\",\"width\":696,\"height\":412,\"caption\":\"Mystery Surrounds Kuntaur Area Council Chairman\u2019s Prolonged Absence Amid Growing Speculations\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Mystery Surrounds Kuntaur Area Council Chairman\u2019s Prolonged Absence Amid Growing Speculations\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/\",\"name\":\"Gambia\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Mystery Surrounds Kuntaur Area Council Chairman\u2019s Prolonged Absence Amid Growing Speculations - Gambia","description":"The Kuntaur Area Council is currently grappling with the unexplained and prolonged absence of its Chairperson, Saihou ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Mystery Surrounds Kuntaur Area Council Chairman\u2019s Prolonged Absence Amid Growing Speculations","og_description":"The Kuntaur Area Council is currently grappling with the unexplained and prolonged absence of its Chairperson, Saihou ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations","og_site_name":"Gambia","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2024-01-29T07:25:26+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-01-29T08:20:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":696,"height":412,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2024\/01\/sm_1706503573.925116.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"Mystery Surrounds Kuntaur Area Council Chairman\u2019s Prolonged Absence Amid Growing Speculations","datePublished":"2024-01-29T07:25:26+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-29T08:20:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations"},"wordCount":462,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2024\/01\/sm_1706503573.925116.jpg","keywords":["Africa Press","Africa Press-Gambia","Gambia"],"articleSection":["all news","policy"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations","name":"Mystery Surrounds Kuntaur Area Council Chairman\u2019s Prolonged Absence Amid Growing Speculations - Gambia","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2024\/01\/sm_1706503573.925116.jpg","datePublished":"2024-01-29T07:25:26+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-29T08:20:24+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"The Kuntaur Area Council is currently grappling with the unexplained and prolonged absence of its Chairperson, Saihou ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2024\/01\/sm_1706503573.925116.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2024\/01\/sm_1706503573.925116.jpg","width":696,"height":412,"caption":"Mystery Surrounds Kuntaur Area Council Chairman\u2019s Prolonged Absence Amid Growing Speculations"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/mystery-surrounds-kuntaur-area-council-chairmans-prolonged-absence-amid-growing-speculations#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Mystery Surrounds Kuntaur Area Council Chairman\u2019s Prolonged Absence Amid Growing Speculations"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/","name":"Gambia","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52116"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52116\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}