Pa Sait Ceesay appeared before the Commission at the Djembe Hotel down the Senegambia Beach for a continuation of testimony as the Commission continues to inquiry into the financial and administrative dealings of Mansakonko Area Council
His testimony exposed a lack of an operational plan within the council, prompting Counsel Patrick Gomez to question the feasibility of implementing a strategic plan without a foundational operational framework: “If you don’t have an operational plan, how can you implement the strategic plan?”
"To be frank, there was no operational plan,” Ceesay frankly admitted.
Financial irregularities were also unmasked before commissioners, as auditors stated in the audit report, which was the central point of the day’s hearing, that payments exceeding D153,000 were made without accompanying payment vouchers. The former CEO conceded to this lapse, acknowledging a lack of proper documentation.
Also, the auditors revealed in the audit report that 92 council employees were working without complete files, with discrepancies in names for the same individual.
In his response, Ceesay said: “I think it was an incomplete establishment register. It is a serious lapse.”
Hygiene concerns at the Bureng weekly market's toilet facilities were also flagged, with insufficient water supply exacerbating the whole situation.
Initially downplaying the problem's severity, Ceesay later contradicted himself, admitting the water shortage problem affected all markets in the region.
He was at this point referred to the council management response which made admission to this particular audit finding, - problem of water shortage - and outlined how the council management intended to address it. However, he said the management response was not written by him.
The inquiry delved into the underutilisation and poor condition of council-owned guest houses in Bureng. However, Ceesay argued that he had not left the guest houses in bad shape. It was put to him that the council management response acknowledged that the guest houses were in bad shape and plans were in place for renovation.
As the scrutiny by the tough deputy lead counsel intensified, Ceesay, in a striking moment, conceded: "We fail in our responsibilities as a council,” an admission which manifested the gravity of issues.
Local Government Commission of Inquiry
