According to Modou Marega, of the National Audit Office (NAO), the entire process “lacked value for money and constituted a significant waste of public resources.” He said evidence showed CFAO issued invoices to KMF well before the bidding ended, suggesting a prearranged deal.
“By purchasing directly from CFAO Motors, the Project Coordination Unit (PCU) could have saved D37.394 million,” Marega said, calling the transaction “a textbook case of brokering and poor procurement oversight.”
But Fatou Sagar Jagne, the project coordinator, stood firm in defense of the procurement, insisting that KMF Technologies was fairly selected through a transparent evaluation process.
“The award was based on technical and financial responsiveness,” she explained, dismissing the audit’s price comparison as “speculative” since CFAO “did not formally participate in the bid submission.”
She maintained that management acted within government and World Bank guidelines, emphasising that “how KMF Technologies sources its goods” was outside the PCU’s mandate.
Health Minister Dr. Ahmad Samateh, appearing visibly cautious, sought to deflect blame, stressing that the project’s structure was inherently complex and shared between multiple ministries including Health, Gender, and Finance.
“This project was initially designed under the Ministry of Gender,” he said. “But because of capacity gaps, the World Bank decided to attach it to the Ministry of Health. That dual oversight has created management complications.”
Dr. Samateh said reforms are already underway, including appointing an internal auditor to vet all project payments. He also revealed ongoing discussions to transfer the SWEDD+ Project back to the Ministry of Gender to streamline accountability.
Despite management’s defense, the auditors stood by their findings, insisting that the evidence clearly supports the claims of overpricing and procedural breaches.
They urged the World Bank, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Health to take “immediate corrective measures” and recover the D37 million overpayment without delay.
FPAC members, unimpressed by the explanations, pressed for clarity on why the PCU ignored the option to buy directly from CFAO Motors and whether the deal was deliberately structured to benefit the intermediary firm.
The chairperson of the Committee, Hon. Alhagie S. Darboe, confirmed that the police have completed investigations into the procurement saga, and the report has been forwarded to the Ministry of Justice for legal opinion.
“This is not just about paperwork, it’s about accountability. Someone must answer for this waste.”
