By Arret Jatta
Ida Njie a former Procurement Officer at Banjul City Council has alleged before the Local Government Commission of Inquiry that while she was working at the council, a contract of D13 million was awarded to ‘Kebba and Sons’ a company believed to be owned by a relative of the mayor.
The witness testified that she was redeployed from the procurement unit to the Rates Office because she questioned the contract being awarded to ‘Kebba and Sons’ without proper bidding.
“There was a procurement of the trash bins which involved D13 million. Prior to that, they prepared all their bidding documents and sent them to GPPA and they were turned down by the GPPA because they had no proper procurement plan and the amount entailed for the procurement should have been an open tendering and the amount was D13 million for just trash bins but the procurement should have been for trash bins and 3 trucks,” she explained.
She further explained that the name ‘Kebba and Sons’ is a household name in BCC because the name ‘Kebba and Sons’ is in every procurement transaction.
“So when they said ‘Kebba and Sons’ was going to qualify for that procurement, I refused because I got a clue that ‘Kebba and Sons’ is related to the mayor and anyone related to the mayor should not be awarded that contract because it is a conflict of interest,” she added.
For clarity, Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez asked if she is referring to Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe and the witness said yes.
She further stated that there should not be conflict of interest in procurement, saying that she brought it to their attention and I asked the CEO why ‘Kebba and Sons’ because this should have been an open tendering considering that D13 million is beyond the threshold.
The witness said they didn’t come to terms during the meeting and the meeting was called off but she was subsequently invited by the CEO and director of Planning where she was told she would have to do what they want .
The witness alleged that they even threatened to talk to her family members and she told them that won’t work because she is from a righteous family.
“That is where the dark story I have at BCC emanated from,” the witness said.
