Lamin Y.F.A. Mboge, proprietor of Mbulmano Construction, admitted to handing over D100,000 to council officials after they allegedly requested bribe of D150,000 for the contract.
Mboge secured two contracts from the KAC, one valued at over D400,000 and the other exceeding D600,000.
He testified that he was introduced to the council leadership by Wally Ndimbalang, a councilor representing Nyanga Bantang ward.
The officials he dealt with, he said, included the council chairperson, the CEO, the director of finance and the director of planning and development.
In his testimony, Mboge said that while he did not initially offer kickbacks, it was common practice for officials to solicit payments in exchange for contracts.
“If you are awarded a contract, you are expected to deliver to expectation, but that is not happening,” Mboge said. “The officials would ask for bribes, which they call ‘paying under the table'."
He recounted that during negotiations, council officials demanded 40 percent of his contract’s value, leading to a tense back-and-forth before he ultimately agreed to pay D100,000. He testified that the payment had a significant impact on his ability to procure materials for the project.
Mboge told the Commission that he handed the money to Lamin Kujabi, the director of planning, for distribution among senior officials, including the chairperson, the CEO and the director of finance.
“It is a collective thing,” Mboge said. “The chairman, the CEO, and all others are involved. Lamin Kujabi is just the one on the frontline but all others were involved.”
He further claimed that the final payment was made in the presence of his technician, Pierre Mendy.
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