By: Kebba AF Touray
Officials from the Office of the Ombudsman have said they have registered a total of 240 cases between 2021 and 2022.
They made this disclosure during the presentation of their 2021 and 2022 activity report and audited financial statements before members of the Finance and Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly (FPAC).
The Officials outlined that these cases are categorized under wrongful termination, injustice, salaries and wages, discrimination, allowance, compensation, maladministration, as well as gratuity and pensions.
According to the Officials, the number of cases registered at their headquarters was 74 complaints, out of which, 16 complaints were satisfactorily resolved in favor of the complainants while 3 were dismissed after a full investigation due to lack of merit. The office reported that 12 were discontinued because they were frivolous and were not made in good faith, while 4 were withdrawn and 39 were pending.
“The total number of cases registered at the head Office was 90, Kerewan Regional Office 9, Mansa Konko Regional Office 18, Janjanbureh and Basse Regional Offices combined 49, giving a total of 166 cases. This makes it total registered cases of 240 between 2021 and 2022,” they reported.
The officials explained that the Kerewan Regional Office registered 10 complaints and investigations were conducted on all of them, adding that out of these, 5 were settled in favor of the complainants, while 1 was discontinued and 4 were pending.
“At the Mansakonko Regional Office, 8 complaints were registered out of which 4 were settled in favor of the complainants, while 2 were discontinued and 2 pending,” the Ombudsman Officials reported.
At the Basse Regional Office, they said 22 complaints were registered, out of which 15 were settled in favor of the complainants, while 2 were discontinued and 5 were pending.
The Officials reported that the institutions with the highest number of complaints during the period under review are Gambia Police Force 10; Personnel Management Office 6, and Senior Secondary Schools 6.
“The head Office 74, Kerewan Regional Office 10, Mansa Konko Regional Office 8, Janjnabureh and Basse Regional Offices 222, giving a total number of cases to 114,” added the Office of the Ombudsman.
On the sectoral front, the officials explained that the office registered 10 cases involving the Gambia Police Force, 6 related to the Personnel Management Office, 6 cases involving Senior Secondary Schools, 5 cases related to the Ministry of Health, 4 involved Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital; 4 cases related to Gambia Ports Authority, 4 cases involved Kanifing Municipal Council, and 4 cases related to Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education 4.
They said a total of 3 cases were registered from the Gambia Prisons Services 3; Serrekunda General Hospital 3; Gambia Armed Forces 2; Gambia College 2, and Gambia Immigration Department 2.
The officials stated that 2 cases involved the Office of the President, 2 cases related to the State Intelligence Service, with a single case involving Banjul City Council, Department of Agriculture, Directorate of Treasury, and Department of Physical Planning and Housing registered.
This, according to the officials, gives a total of 74 sectoral cases registered by the Office of the Ombudsman in the year ended 2022.
They outlined that the cases registered at the Head Office in 2022 ranged from unfair treatment, 26 cases; unfair dismissals, 11; gratuity and pensions, 11; salaries and wages, 8; allowance claims, 6; wrongful termination, 4; compensation, 4; injustice, 2; and a single case of discrimination and maladministration`, making it a total of 74 cases.
