The attention of the Judiciary of The Gambia has been drawn to an article published by Foroyaa Newspaper on 6th October 2025 under the headline “Judicial Workers Cry Foul as Top Officials Enjoy Massive Pay Rise.”
While the Judiciary acknowledges and respects the vital role of the media in promoting transparency and accountability, it is imperative to correct certain misrepresentations and omissions in the said publication to prevent the public from being misled regarding the remuneration structure within the Judiciary.
Firstly, Foroyaa did not take into account the fundamental distinction between Judicial Officers and Judicial Support Staff with respect to their pay systems. Judicial Support Staff are on the integrated government pay scale, which means they have benefited from all salary and allowance increments implemented by the Government across the civil and public service. This category includes some Judicial Officers such as Magistrates and Cadis, whose salaries are integrated into the national pay framework and who therefore benefit from the same periodic adjustments as other public servants.
Conversely, Judges and Superior Court Judicial Officers are on fixed, non-integrated salaries determined by the Judicial Service Commission in accordance with the Constitution. These salaries have not been subject to any government-wide increments since 2019. However, it must be noted that Judicial Officers did benefit from a salary review and increment in 2022, the last adjustment prior to the enactment of the Judicial Officers (Conditions of Service) Bill, 2025.
In January 2025, the Government of The Gambia implemented a general increase in salaries and allowances across the civil service, excluding the Judiciary. When this development came to the attention of the Judiciary’s administration, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) promptly engaged with the Ministry of Public Service and the Personnel Management Office (PMO) to address the resulting disparity and ensure that Judicial Support Staff received fair and equitable treatment comparable to other ministries and departments.
Following these consultations in 2025, the PMO approved an increment in the basic salaries of Judicial Support Staff, while the Judicial Service Commission, recognizing the constitutional and institutional autonomy of the Judiciary, approved additional adjustments to allowances to align them with prevailing standards in other public institutions.
Accordingly, in 2025, transport and residential allowances for Judicial Support Staff were increased from D1,500.00 to D3,000.00 and from D1,700.00 to D3,500.00, respectively. Staff on the integrated pay scale also benefited from proportional adjustments, reflecting a continued effort to close gaps and promote parity across the public service.
It is therefore inaccurate and misleading to suggest that Judicial Support Staff have been excluded from salary or allowance improvements. On the contrary, both the Government and the Judiciary,
acting within their respective administrative and constitutional mandates, have effected multiple upward adjustments in their emoluments in recent years.
The recently enacted Judicial Officers (Conditions of Service) Bill, 2025, referenced by Foroyaa, does not represent a preferential or extraordinary pay rise for Judicial Officers. Rather, it constitutes a long-overdue harmonisation measure aimed at aligning the remuneration of Judicial Officers with their counterparts in the Executive and Legislature. This reform is essential to safeguarding the principles of judicial independence and the separation of powers as enshrined in the 1997 Constitution.
The Judiciary regrets that Foroyaa’s report, by relying on unnamed “sources” and omitting critical context and without putting forward the official side of the Judiciary, has conveyed a distorted impression of internal dissatisfaction. Judicial Officers and Support Staff operate under distinct pay regimes designed to reflect their constitutional roles and professional responsibilities. This distinction should not be misconstrued as inequality or neglect.
The Judiciary remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring that all personnel from the highest judicial officer to the lowest grade employee are fairly and adequately remunerated within the framework of the national pay system. Constructive engagement through institutional dialogue, rather than speculative or incomplete media narratives, remains the most effective avenue for addressing staff concerns and promoting transparency.
The Judiciary therefore, urges all media outlets to verify information with the Judicial Service Commission or the Office of the Chief Justice before publication, in the spirit of accuracy, fairness, and responsible journalism.
Signed: Abdou Conteh
Judicial Secretary
