By Makutu Manneh
Adama Jammeh, a former Rates Manager for the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) was on Monday questioned about the debt recovery businesses she is operating and the contract she was awarded by the KMC.
She testified that she is a cousin to Mayor Talib Bensouda’s mother. She retired in 2018 and was placed on contract for six (6) years. She was the rates manager from 2007 to 2018 and was later on contracted from 2018 to 2023 maintaining the same position.
When asked whether the renewal of her contract as the Rates Manager for 6 years after her retirement was based on her relationship with the Mayor, she stated that her appointment was based on her experience – the institutional memory she had.
She believed that she needed to pass on the knowledge to the others because the rates unit requires experience. She dismissed the statement that the renewals were based on any other reason than her experience about the job.
Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez told the witness that she was not the only one with the knowledge and that she is not highly educated because her highest qualification is a course in information technology. The witness maintained her statement that she has institutional memory of the rates unit.
Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez asked why was she given a contract for six years.
“Were you providing any special services to the council that they could not find another person to do after your retirement?” Counsel Gomez asked.
Witness Jammeh replied that the rates unit is different from other works in the council because one needs to know the grassroots, every property, and going for registration of properties. She added that it is an area that requires time. Counsel Gomez told her she has been in the rates unit for so long and she could have tutored her deputies during the period she was serving. She agreed with the Counsel.
“How can you convince the commissioners that it is not because of your relationship with the Mayor that was why after retirement you were given a contract for 2 years, after which every year your contract was renewed?” Counsel Gomez asked.
“Counsel, it is not because of my relationship with the mayor. I know the rate unit and I have the institutional memory of the unit,” she said.
Counsel Gomez told her that her explanation is not convincing because she is not the only one that can do the job. Gomez added that people are given contracts because of exceptional services they can render or because there is a gap in capacity. He told her that in her case, she cannot say there is a capacity gap because there are thousands of Gambians that can occupy her position.
The counsel further told her that The Gambia needs qualified people that can be trained because there is a need for continuity in the services.
“Six years does not make sense to me, but if you say you are related to the Mayor, that will make sense to me,” the counsel said.
The witness maintained her line of argument that her contract and subsequent renewals were based on her experience in the service.
Adama Jammeh left the KMC with a staggering amount of over One Hundred Million Dalasi of uncollected rate arrears. She said she left the KMC in September 2023 and in May 2024, she won a contract from the KMC to do debt recovery for them.
The Counsel proceeded to ask if she has a company, the witness replied twice that she does not have a company. When Counsel Gomez told her that KMC has contracted five companies for debt recovery and warned her against providing false testimony. From this point, the witness said she has a company that has been contracted by KMC for debt recovery for property rates.
She said she jointly owns the company called ‘Frago’ with one Francis Gomez. She added that she became a manager. She testified that in May 2024, Frago was awarded a contract by the KMC.
On the contract, she said the service they provide to KMC is to issue demand notes or notices to the debtors and when payment is done, they will get 5 percent of it. She added that when a debtor does not pay, the Agency takes him or her to court. She explained that there is a magistrate at the Council who presides over the cases and facilitates payment plan with the debtor.
The Counsel told her they are not providing any special service to KMC that the staff of the council cannot do.
“Your service has to be special and different to the extent that the staff of the council cannot do it. So, if only what you do is to serve demand notes and make follow ups then why will you be contracted and make 5 percent from every collection when they can employ people to do that?” asked Counsel Gomez.
The witness will reappear before the commission on a date to be scheduled to provide the documents requested. The documents include her employment, confirmation and other records related to the rates unit.
