By Tombong Saidy
The recent revelations before the Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) regarding the D37 million vehicle procurement scandal under the SWEDD+ Project have once again exposed the deep-rooted corruption, waste, and mismanagement that have plagued President Adama Barrow’s administration.
According to the National Audit Office (NAO), ten Toyota four-wheel-drive vehicles were procured through a private intermediary, KMF Technologies, instead of being purchased directly from CFAO Motors, the authorised Toyota dealer. This decision, auditors revealed, cost Gambian taxpayers more than D37 million in unnecessary expenses.
The central question is simple: Why would a government ministry choose to buy vehicles through a third party at inflated prices when the same could have been bought directly at a much lower cost? The answer is clear — to create an avenue for corruption, kickbacks, and profiteering.
This scandal is not merely about vehicles; it is about the abuse of public funds and the betrayal of public trust. The D37 million wasted on overpriced SUVs could have been channelled into much-needed public services: rocuring life-saving medicines for hospitals and health centres; building or refurbishing rural clinics; improving maternal health services; or supporting essential health programmes for women and children.
Instead, this colossal sum has been squandered on luxury vehicles for officials — a shameful reflection of the government’s misplaced priorities.
The health minister’s attempt to shift blame to “management complications” between ministries is both unconvincing and unacceptable. Accountability cannot be avoided through bureaucratic excuses. Someone approved this deal, someone paid for it, and someone benefited from it — all at the expense of the Gambian people.
The Barrow government must not only recover the D37 million but also hold the officials involved accountable and reform the procurement system that continues to enable such reckless financial mismanagement.
If corruption continues to be tolerated, if public funds continue to be wasted while citizens suffer, then it is clear that this government has lost both its moral compass and its legitimacy. The Gambian people deserve better — a government that values accountability over excuses, and service over self-enrichment.
