UDP Condemns Frivolous Spending by NPP-Controlled Kerewan Area Council: Taxpayers’ Money Wasted on Luxury While Communities Suffer.
The United Democratic Party (UDP) is deeply alarmed by the reckless and self-serving expenditures of the NPP-controlled Kerewan Area Council (KAC), led by Chairman Papa Tunkara. Instead of addressing the dire needs of the North Bank Region (NBR)—a region starved of basic services—the council has prioritized luxury and extravagance at the expense of taxpayers.
Under the NPP’s leadership, KAC has squandered millions on unnecessary luxuries while failing to fund a single community project since taking office. The council spent a staggering D7.6 million on two high-end vehicles for the Chairman and CEO, while communities cry out for clean water, feeder roads, good markets and agricultural support, etc. This D7.6 million constitutes more than 20% of the budget on 2 high-end vehicles when they don’t have a single waste collection vehicle.
Even more egregious is the council’s obsession with foreign trips. Last year, the Chairman and CEO jetted off to United States of America for a so-called “Mayoral Conference,” costing taxpayers nearly D1.5 million —a trip that yielded no tangible benefits for the North Bank Religion. Now, they are planning another wasteful excursion (the same Mayoral Conference) this time, including the Chief’s Representative, with an estimated cost exceeding D2 million. Mark you, this a conference can be attended through virtual participation, but they chose to waste taxpayer’s money to attend in person.
The NBR remains one of the most underserved regions in The Gambia. Families struggle to access clean water, farmers face impassable feeder roads to their rice fields, and basic infrastructure is crumbling. Yet, the NPP-controlled council has turned a blind eye, choosing instead to live in luxury at the expense of the poor.
To add insult to injury, the Chairman initiated the constructions of the Chairman’s Residence and a new Council Office Building instead of constructing the Pakau Njogu and Madina Serign Mass markets that he inherited from the previous council. This raises serious questions about the NPP’s led Council’s priorities.
The Barrow-led NPP KERENG KAFFOO government has remained conspicuously silent on KAC’s excesses, proving once again that the NPP prioritizes political patronage over public welfare. If the central government refuses to rein in its own councils, how can Gambians trust them to manage national resources responsibly?
The UDP demands an immediate halt to these frivolous expenditures and calls for a full audit of KAC’s finances. Taxpayers’ money must be redirected to boreholes, feeder roads, waste collection, markets, agricultural support, etc. —not luxury cars and useless foreign travels. The people of NBR deserve leaders who serve them, not themselves. They increased rates and taxes by 100% just to waste taxpayers’ money frivolously – the KERENG NDINGOS are emulating the KERENG BAAS.
Enough is enough. The NPP KERENG KAFFO must be held accountable for this blatant misuse of public funds.
Tombong Saidy
UDP Administrative Secretary for Media and Communication