EFSCRJ Calls for Impartial Enforcement and Reform of Local Councils

Local Government Inquiry Calls for Urgent Reform and Fair Enforcement

Gambians who pay rates, licences and market dues have a right to know where their money goes. The Local Government Commission of Inquiry found that councils diverted development funds, borrowed without approval, and awarded contracts without competition. Audit warnings reached council leaders and central government officials, yet the same abuses continued. Both levels of government must answer for those failures.

EFSCRJ calls for an urgent review of the Local Government Act to give effect to the Constitution’s promise of decentralization. When central authorities control staffing and other local decisions, residents struggle to hold the right officials accountable. Elected councils need the authority and resources to deliver services, and residents need access to council budgets, contracts, and audited accounts to judge their performance.

The Government must also explain why a report submitted on 11 May reached the public only weeks before the 5 December presidential election. Why did it direct councils to pursue the removal of Talib Ahmed Bensouda, Rohey Malick Lowe and Saikou Jawara when the Commission did not expressly recommend their removal? EFSCRJ urges the Government to publish its reasons, apply the same standards across all councils, respect due process, and report publicly on funds recovered and reforms carried out.

Empowered Citizens. Accountable Leadership.