Newspapers in Scotland have reported that Sainey Touray, a former member of the Gambian parliament, is seeking asylum in Scotland.
Touray, 49, served as the National Assembly Member for Jarra East from 2017 to 2022.
After serving a first term, Touray sought a second mandate on the opposition UDP ticket and contested the April 2022 parliamentary elections against four others. He polled 2,334 votes, second behind NPP’s Haruna Barry who got 2,775 votes and is the current representative.
According to Edinburgh Live and Daily Record news outfits, Touray claimed he was forced to flee “for his life” for expressing certain political views.
He was quoted: “I was against corruption. I was against bad governance. I advocated for women’s rights, but that did not go down with the government. I fled for my life.” He filed for asylum in 2022 and was relocated to Home Office accommodation in Edinburgh in January 2023. He has been waiting for a verdict on his asylum plea for two years.
Grievance
Touray made the news after he criticised the Scottish Government for scrapping free bus fares. The Scottish Government tried to introduce free bus travel for asylum seekers, however, in August, plans to enact the policy were scrapped despite the Scottish parliament voting on a non-binding motion to instate the policy by 2026.
As an asylum seeker in Edinburgh, Touray lives on £9 per week and believes free bus fare would be “key” for asylum seekers. Asylum seekers are not allowed to work, therefore paying for transit presents a challenge.
According to the Scottish papers, people in uncatered accommodation get around £50 per week, or £7 per day, from the Home Office. According to the Scottish Refugee Council, those in hotels get £8-9 a week, or approximately £1.40 per day. Sainey earns £9 each week from the Home Office.
Sainey broke down the cost of travel based on Lothian bus prices: “Imagine somebody gives you £9 every week. If you want to use the bus for a week, you have to pay £22. The stipend doesn’t cover that. And to go two ways, it’s £4. A day ticket is £5. That’s already most of your stipend.”
The papers added: “This means Sainey can’t readily see his doctor or make good use of his time as he waits for an asylum decision. The former politician was enrolled at Newbattle Abbey College but dropped out after finding it impossible to arrange trips with low funds.”
Sainey said: “Transportation is very important. I think that is very key. If we could get a bus pass, it would give us back our movement. It would help us a lot. If we can move and go about our business, it would be a great deal of help for us.”
As of June 2023, there were over 5,000 asylum seekers living in Scotland, according to the Scottish Government.
