Sonko, who served between March 2020 and July 2021, testified that the mayor’s office had a stranglehold on the administration, with her own powers as CEO reduced to carrying out directives.
The former CEO told the commission that she was required to report to the mayor’s office every morning for “early briefings,” where activities for the day were dictated and approvals discussed, which the mayor initially disagreed in giving approvals during his testimony.
“As CEO you had no will of your own to approve any activity without the mayor being aware of it,” she said. She added that many times she had to seek clarification from the mayor simply to interpret his handwriting on official documents, which she described as “sometimes difficult to read.”
When questioned by the lead counsel Patrick Gomez , on photocopied request, Sonko confirmed that during her tenure, millions of dalasi were paid to contractors on the basis of photocopied requests. She testified that she approved some payments believing they were part of routine processes, but later discovered they lacked proper originals.
She admitted authorising over D14 million in payments to General Procurement Services for road rehabilitation projects in Talinding and Koloban, but said one of the vouchers carrying her signature was not genuine. “Two of the requests were photocopies. I believed they were just for completion of payments, but they should have been backed by originals,” she said.
The projects themselves collapsed soon after completion, with roads washed away by the rains.
Another incident highlighted was the cold storage facility at Serrekunda Market, which Sonko described as a “white elephant.”
She testified that one afternoon, Councillor Binneh Marong and contractor Tombong Saidy walked into her office with a mayoral order to effect pre-financing for the project. The mayor assured her that the British High Commissioner would reimburse the council. That reimbursement never materialised.
“The facility does not serve its purpose,” she said. “It doesn’t get cold inside. The women don’t use it. It has become an abandoned container.”
The commission also heard allegations on how council resources were selectively used to favour politicians while ordinary staff were left without assistance.
Sonko recalled the case of Sirra Konateh, a council staff member whose son required urgent surgery in Dakar. Because the council’s medical policy had been suspended since 2018, she said she had no power to approve support. Sirra was eventually given only a loan of around D10,000 by the staff welfare association.
By contrast, however, she said Councillor Habib Ceesay fell ill, the mayor personally called Sonko to ensure his treatment was covered. Later, when Ceesay claimed he needed to travel to Casamance for “spiritual healing,” the mayor again directed that council funds be used.
“If I had my way, I would have helped the staff,” Sonko said, “but I had no liberty to do so.”
The former CEO also spoke on the border dispute between KMC and the Brikama Area Council (BAC). She proposed negotiating directly with BAC’s CEO, given her cordial relationship, but the mayor rejected the idea, citing his political feud with BAC chairman Sheriffo Sonko.
Instead, a letter was sent to BAC, signed in her name without her knowledge, warning them against revenue collection within KMC boundaries. The letter inflamed tensions, forcing the Ministry of Lands to convene a meeting between both councils, chiefs, and alkalolu.
Sonko detailed several projects that drained public funds but yielded little benefit. General Procurement Services received millions for roads that were washed away by the rains. Another contractor, Alieu Corr, was paid D3.5 million under a tender arrangement that later revealed irregularities, as he used another business’s documents to receive payments.
She admitted that she had already started paying Corr when the true ownership of the business came to light, but by then the pavements had been destroyed by heavy rains, just like the General Procurement roads.
The name of consultant Kanjura Kanyi came up repeatedly. Sonko said she was pressured to pay contractors immediately after assuming office, with Kanyi present in the mayor’s office during those instructions.
