By Makutu Manneh
A senior finance official at the Banjul City Council on Monday appeared before the Local Government Commission of Inquiry, facing tough questions over the procurement of 3,000 dustbins valued at D13.8 million as part of the Banjul-Ostend CityLink partnership project.
Muhammed Cham, the BCC Finance Manager seconded to the EU-funded project, admitted under questioning that no market survey was conducted to determine whether the price of D4,000 per bin was justified. The revelation came amid broader scrutiny into procurement irregularities and possible conflicts of interest tied to the city’s controversial waste management expenditures.
The Commission—tasked with probing the financial and administrative dealings of local councils from May 2018 to January 2023—is examining whether proper procedures were followed in the award of contracts under the CityLink Ostend-Banjul partnership.
Cham said the contract with Kebba and Sons, the supplier of the dustbins, was awarded through restricted tendering, a process approved by the Gambia Public Procurement Authority (GPPA). However, he was unable to explain why the project chose that route or provide details of any cost analysis done before awarding the contract.
“What kind of dustbin costs D4,000 in 2019?” asked Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez. The witness could not provide an answer. “In 2025, what kind of dustbin costs D4,000?” Gomez pressed further. Again, Cham failed to justify the price.
The witness initially stated there was no procurement officer or functioning procurement unit at the time. That claim was later contradicted when Gomez pointed out that an assistant procurement officer was available.
The Commission also heard allegations that the procurement officer’s signature had been forged on project documents, prompting GPPA to write to the council over the irregularity.
Asked whether he was aware that Kebba and Sons had links to the Mayor of Banjul, Cham responded, “I heard of it later,” before later recanting, saying he was unsure of the connection.
The dustbin deal is just one of several expenditures under review. The Commission also questioned why D40,000 was spent on boxes of A4-size paper—at a rate of D2000 per box—and why the payment was made without evidence of prior approval.
Chairperson Jainaba Bah pressed Cham on the lack of documentation supporting these transactions, but the witness was unable to produce records justifying the payments. He was granted additional time to provide missing specifications and retirement documents for project expenses.
