Lord Mayor Talib, let us begin with Education. Under Section 63 Subsection (a) of the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA), “A council shall within its area of jurisdiction ensure that schools are established and operated in accordance with the Education Act for the time being in force and National policy guidelines”; Subsection (d) requires councils to “encourage the establishment of income-generating and skills-enhancing projects or programs in all schools.” Across the entire Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC), there is only one municipal school (Charles Jow Memorial Junior and Senior Academy) built by the council. You could argue that building schools is the government’s responsibility, but the government has devolved some of its powers and development blueprint to the councils to complement its efforts in these areas. In your seven years in office, no meaningful development has occurred through the construction of either an elementary school or a kindergarten, leaving communities to enroll their children in expensive private kindergartens or wait until their children reach elementary school age to enroll them in public schools. Furthermore, the lack of council schools imposes an economic burden and reduces access for low-income families, which can lower enrollment rates among poorer families – only 45% in urban KMC - increase dropout risks, overcrowded classrooms, negatively affect learning outcomes, and limit workforce skills. Lord Mayor Talib, access to education, as stated in the Constitution, is the responsibility of both the central government and the councils to make it accessible.
Lord Mayor Talib, on Agriculture, Section 67 Subsection (1) states that “every council shall be responsible for providing agricultural services to the communities within its jurisdiction in accordance with the National Policy Guidelines.” Subsections (2a) and (2b) require councils to (a) “provide extension services for the delivery and promotion of agricultural and natural resources information” and (b) “operate extension centres at such levels as it may deem necessary.” There is low investment in agriculture, and horticulture gardens face challenges such as access to water, finance gaps (access to loans), and low productivity. As stated in the LGA, the municipality should fund research and planning to maximize vegetable production and build a distribution centre for vegetable farmers. The funds used for the 190,000 trees could have been reinvested in agriculture.
Lord Mayor Talib, on Natural Resources, Section 71 Subsection (1A) “states that a council shall, in its area of jurisdiction, be responsible for the management, protection, and conservation of the environment.” The 190,000 trees may have been geared toward this goal, but was it a priority for the communities, given that houses in KMC already plant at least one or more trees in their compounds? Wildlife has been neglected. For instance, the abuse of donkeys by donkey-cart drivers remains a challenge that the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust is trying to address. The same applies to the conservation of water resources, forest management, promotion of crop irrigation, etc.
Lord Mayor Talib, on Public and Environmental Health, Section 76 Subsection (2a–d) states that “the council shall be responsible for major health centers, sub-dispensaries, and all primary health care services within its jurisdiction.” This includes managing maternal and child health services, distributing pharmaceutical products and vaccines to health facilities, and ensuring general hygiene and sanitation. I commend you, Lord Mayor, for the council’s distribution of ambulances and the upgrading of the Bundung Child and Maternity Ward Hospital. However, it would have been better to decentralize health centers to areas like DippaKunda, Fajara, Kotu, Bakoteh, London Corner, etc. Access to health care should be a priority for the council to fulfil its mandate to distribute pharmaceutical products.
Lord Mayor Talib, on Roads, Section 80 of the LGA “states that a council shall establish a Local Roads Authority for its area of jurisdiction, which shall be responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of all secondary roads.” I have urged the Minister for Works and Infrastructure in my letter to him not to oppose your proposed project to construct roads within the municipality. Though their argument may be genuine regarding how the contract and MOU were drafted by the council, the council did not follow due process under Section 80 Subsection (2). In the past seven years, constructing even a 5-metre secondary road has been a daunting task for the council, leaving communities to navigate through pothole-filled “potopoto” ponds during the rainy season and rendering some places inaccessible, with 300km unpaved roads in KMC. “Omar bounce along in his old car – clattering, thumping and rattling, like Keech, Kaaach, Kulung, Kalang when driving,” an experience all drivers face on KMC’s pothole ponds. The council could have explored alternatives over the past seven years, such as investing in research and development on sustainable roads using available natural resources or using interlocking blocks to maintain secondary roads—an approach used by the former Mayor of Banjul, Pa SallahJagne.
Lord Mayor Talib, please do not take this letter as a lecture on the LGA; I am highlighting these sections for public consumption. Sections 70 to 85 of the LGA, but most importantly Part II, Section 48 (2) 16 (a–p), outline the following responsibilities that councils should fulfil: lighting of streets and public places; fire brigade services; ambulance services; cemeteries, crematoria, and mortuaries; offices, stores, workshops, depots, public halls, libraries, art galleries, and museums; slaughterhouses; cold storage facilities; markets and piers, jetties, and landing places; botanical and zoological gardens; social centres, clubs, and hospitals; public lavatories and urinals; water supplies outside the jurisdiction of the water utilities provider. Based on your achievements in relation to these, I would give you a 6/16—two points coming from the ambulances and fire trucks you donated to the respective institutions. Lord Mayor Talib, the minimum you could have done for these communities in the past seven years is to provide “water supplies outside the jurisdiction of the water utilities provider (National Water and Electricity Company).” Communities in the council have grappled with the lack of water from the utilities provider. It would have been ideal for the council to invest in boreholes to mitigate the water crisis and provide access to clean water for these communities. It is known that vendors charge D50-100 / 20L of water in KMC.Lord Mayor Talib, another minimum need would have been “lighting of streets and public places.” Similarly, you could have invested in solar street lights not only to brighten the streets but also to create a safe environment for the communities. Lord Mayor Talib, my friend Kebba Jaiteh roam the streets of Sukuta to find a community Park to exercise, read, or rest but finds none.
Lord Mayor Talib, I cannot conclude without mentioning the just-concluded Local Government Commission, which has unearthed blatant corruption, nepotism, favoritism, bribery, abuse of office, and embezzlement of public funds by councilors—a trend spanning all councils. Your appearance at the commission, blaming every embezzlement and corruption allegation in your council on “administrative lapses,” was a lame excuse and the evidence shows that you cannot rely on administrative lapses as the cause of corruption in the council. Take, for instance, the Mbalit project (a failed project that is enriching donkey-cart drivers). From the outset of the procurement, the council could have saved D32.2 million on the Mbalit trucks, but due to “administrative lapses,” it ended up costing the council. Those lost funds could have been invested in street lighting and boreholes. Lord Mayor Talib, it is not too late to provide the communities with the bare minimum needs that do not require huge capital, apart from the flower vases on the roadside. A 100-day Legacy Challenge would be to deliver 5 community boreholes (approximately D600,000 each. Total D3M) 100 street lights (approximately D1.5M, this can be achieved through ward funds and community sponsors), 1 mobile health post (The council can partner with Innovarx Global Health’s Wow on Wheels or an investment of D420,000), farmer seed/fertilizer loan fund (approximately D800,000 recover /Mbalit loss via surcharge) and one kindergarten per ward (approximately D1.2M for a modular kindergarten). Delivering these by February, 2026, will improve 100,000 lives and your name will be etched on every borehole, street light, and classroom.Lord Mayor Talib, I look forward to your continued service to the public, improving their livelihoods, supporting local trade and agriculture, creating jobs, improving food security, and ensuring a safe environment.
#KMCLegacyChallenge: 5 Boreholes! 100 Lights! 100 Days!
I remain in the service of the nation.
Dr. Benjamin Kofi Kujabi
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