By Makutu Manneh
Lang Karamo Suwareh has been awarded multiple contracts by the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) worth over D13.6 million between May 2018 and January 2024.
Lang Karamo’s contracts were labelled as requests for quotation when actually they were all single-sourced. Former procurement manager, Fatoumata Saho-Cham said the paperwork was done by her unit, but they do not represent the reality on the ground. She stated that the contracts awarded to Lang Karamo Suwareh were all single-sourced to him.
Lang Karamo Suwareh used to import rice and abandoned that. Now he is engaged in petty contracts. He said his relationship with the KMC dates back to the time of Kebba Jallow, who was the leader of the Interim Management Committee in 2018.
The witness said in 2018 alone he was awarded 8 contracts worth D2.3
million. In 2019, he was awarded contracts worth D3.2 million.
The contracts he implemented for the KMC included the hire of shovel loaders, purchase of painting materials, clearing of drainage, landscaping, waste collection for both communal and illegal dumpsites, road clearing, and provision of building materials among others.
Suwareh last week testified before the Local Government Commission of Inquiry that he was awarded several contracts by the KMC, but he does not have the staff and equipment to implement all those contracts. He said he usually hires staff and equipment. He added that when it comes to contracts for provision of items, he buys directly from the shops and then supplies KMC.
On how he was awarded the contracts, he said he used to receive direct telephone calls from officials in the Directorate of Services of KMC to do work for them and then they pay him.
“I only have my stamp and invoice,” he said.
He was asked about how he got the contracts, including the bidding process of the contract. He explained that he usually discusses with the KMC officials and they will assign him to do the job, and pay whenever they have money.
“They used to call me and inform me about things they want me to do
for them,” he said.
He said he used to also receive calls from people at the dumpsite to do service for them. When asked who they are, the witness said he usually gets the documents from the procurement unit and he works with the directorate of service in the KMC to do the job. He declined to mention any names. The witness said he only receives calls from KMC to perform services for them. The witness said paperwork for the contract is done by the directorate of services of KMC, who send it to the procurement unit for processing.
“You have a business without staff, equipment, and know-how. Technically, you do not have a business,” Lead Counsel Gomez said.
“Is the administration [of KMC] aware that you do not have machines?”
Lead Counsel Gomez asked.
The witness was reluctant to answer the question and Counsel Gomez continued repeating the question until a point that the witness said the management of the KMC, both past and present, were aware that he did not have equipment.
Fatoumata Saho-Cham, the former procurement manager of the KMC previously said all contrasts awarded to Lang Karamo Suwareh did not follow due process. She testified that the KMC would single-source contracts to Suwareh and then ask her office (procurement unit) to do the paperwork. She stated that the KMC documents would show that they used a request for quotation by listing companies to bring the total to 3. She added that the reality is those companies do not participate in the bidding.
“By right, it should have been a single source,” she said.
“So, the proper procedure was not followed,” Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez said.
“Yes, it was supposed to be single-sourcing,” the witness answered.
The former procurement manager said Suwareh has a relationship with the KMC such that each month they renew his contract and they give him different kinds of contracts.
Sarata Jaiteh, a procurement assistant still working for the KMC testified that some of the officials of the KMC bypass the procurement unit and do procurements on their own without involving them. She testified some of the procurements come to their department with invoices. She said sometimes her boss would stop it and succeed in it, but sometimes she tries stopping it and fails because the officials will insist on her to do the paperwork.
Lang Karamo Suwareh testified that he used to hire trucks to provide services for the KMC because he did not have any trucks. He added that his enterprise is registered both with the Ministry of Justice and the Gambia Public Procurement Authority (GPPA). He stated that he does not have any staff as he hires people to do his job when he gets contracts from the KMC.
“I only have my stamp and invoice,” he said.
He told the Commission that he does not have any machines like vehicles.
“On what basis were you awarded contracts when you do not have machinery at all?” Lead Counsel Gomez asked.
“I ensure that I do what they want,” the witness said.
“But what they want you don’t have – what they want you don’t get,”
Gomez said, adding “You don’t have the technical capabilities in the
first place.”
“Any equipment they need, I can get it from people,” the witness said.
“But you do not tell them you don’t have equipment and you were hiring
from third parties,” Counsel Gomez said.
“If I tell them, they won’t give me the contracts,” the witness said.
The witness said he has never told the KMC that he does not have machinery.
The witness was awarded a contract for the clearing and dressing of the Bakoteh dumpsite in 2018/19. He was asked about his experience. He did not respond to the question. He responded that he had travelled abroad as a teenager and his father was a contractor.
The witness was given several payment vouchers regarding payments made to him.
On 19 August 2022, he was paid D40,000 as the cost of water pipes.
“Do you sell water pipes?” Counsel Gomez asked.
“I went to buy it from the shop and sold it to the KMC,” the witness answered.
He said he used to hire bulldozers from one man named Tarik. The witness was asked how much he used to hire bulldozers from Tarik. He said it was a personal arrangement between him and Tarik. Lead Counsel Gomez told him that he was being paid public funds and that his contracts did not follow due process. Therefore, the issue was not a
private matter. The witness said he used to get the bulldozer at between D60,000 and D70,000, which excluded the cost of transportation of the bulldozers to the dump site.
The amount of D376,214 was paid to the witness for one of his invoices for the clearing of the bins. He was paid D238,000 and another over D248,000. Many other vouchers were referenced. Lead Counsel Gomez reviewed the invoices and discovered that the witness used to put amounts there without providing the details.
“How do you arrive at these figures?” Gomez asked.
“The work is dirty [referring to dumpsite clearing]. You hire people and you have to pay them because it has health risks. I hire vehicles and shovels to do the work,” the witness said.
Lead Counsel Gomez said the invoices that he has been sending to the KMC do not disclose the expenses that would warrant the payment of those huge fees. The witness was awarded a D470,000 contract for the clearing of the illegal dumpsites.
The witness allegedly won the contract against other companies. The witness said he cannot remember participating in any bidding. Instead, he would be called by the directorate of services to do a job and the paper work is done by the KMC staff.
The witness was told he did not have any equipment and staff, yet he won the contract. He claimed that he had the know-how. He was asked how he got to know that he was awarded the contract. He said he use to get calls from the Directorate of Services, particularly from Lamin Badjie. Lead Counsel Gomez said the Directorate of Services does not award contracts and why was he being called by them. The witness did not react to this. He stated that he believed that he won the contracts because he usually does pre-financing of projects.
