Ex-KMC rates manager gives evidence over debt recovery contracts

Jammed was contracted by the KMC to continue working as the rates manager when she retired in 2018.

The first contract was for 2 years, while the rest were yearly renewals. She worked for the KMC for 6 years. Asked why she was contracted for over six years, she said it was because she had the institutional memory of the rates unit. She claimed that for one to know the rates unit, the person needed to work for years.

Asked about her relationship with the senior management of the Council, she responded that the mayor was the son of her cousin, Amie Bensouda.  Asked also whether it was the reason she was contracted for 6 years, she denied this, saying she was contracted because of her experience. She left KMC in September 2023.

She stated that as the head of the rates unit, there were millions of dalasis of outstanding debt that people did not pay. After leaving the KMC, she established a debt recovery company and was contracted by the KMC in May 2024 for the debt recovery.

She stated that her business name is Frago Debt Recovery Agency. She explained that she manages it with Francis Gomez and they have six staff members. She added that while working in the KMC, she knew the KMC usually outsourced the debt recoveries.

Jammeh said she knew the rates unit very well and placed her best to do the debt recovery. However, tough questions dragged on, and she subsequently claimed or admitted that Frago belongs to Francis Gomez and she is only the manager.

On the arrangement, she said they signed an agreement with the KMC, and Frago takes five percent of every collection. She further explained that they are responsible for collecting from Bakau Sanchaba, Bakau New Town, Kanifing Industrial Area, Latrikunda German and Latrikunda Sabiji. 

Madam Jammeh also testified that some people pay after receiving the demand notes from Frago, while they go with others to the tribunal in the Council. She stated that they summon people through the council tribunal, having a magistrate.

She said in the courts, Frago representatives become witnesses. She claimed that she makes sure everyone served with demand notes pays. She was the one who signed the agreement between the KMC and Frago.

Tough questions followed and she admitted that the work she does is something “not difficult” and the Council could have carried it out. She was ordered to bring the business registration document of Frago and its business account.

She claimed that Frago does not have a business account. She also informed the inquiry that KMC had not paid them anything yet. Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez asked again about the account of Frago, and this time, she stated she was not sure. She requested time to ask Francis.

Jaja Cham, KMC's admin director and a former acting CEO of the Council, was asked about the appointment of Adama Jammeh.

Cham said her appointment was discussed in one of the meetings of the Establishment and Appointment Committee, and it was agreed that she should be contracted. He added that subsequent renewals were all approved by the Establishment and Appointment Committee. He was ordered  to bring the meeting minutes for the first contract and all the renewals made afterwards.

He said the “KMC has outstanding debt of over one hundred million dalasis”, and they felt that there was a need to outsource the debt recovery. He added that there was a tender process and that companies were invited to send their interest.

He stated that the applications were filed and the contracts committee shortlisted five companies to do the collection. He was asked to bring the documents.

Jaja Cham said there was an agreement signed between the KMC and each of the companies. He added that there was a percentage to be paid to each of the companies. 

He said he sat in the Contracts Committee when they decided to hire the five companies to collect debt on behalf of the Council. He also said the employees of the rates unit were involved in the debt collection process by serving as pointers and providing technical guidance. He explained that the five companies were each given an area to do the collection. 

The witness was asked how the companies collect debt. He said he would not know because he did not have the experience of collecting debt. 

However, he said the strategies they used were not enough as there was a huge outstanding debt of over D100,000. He added that this informed the decision to hire companies to do debt collection. He was asked whether council staff members could not do that, and he responded that the need for outsourcing it was greater because the debt was huge.

The witness disclosed that the KMC had a rates unit and a debt unit, which were later fused as just a rates unit. He said the unit performs both rates collection and debt collection.

He said one of the reasons for hiring the five companies was for the people to see new faces, and the second idea was to reduce the workload on the rates unit to focus on other areas.

“We don't want to strain them,” he said.