Kerewan Area Council chairman, Papa Tunkara, has dismissed the United Democratic Party (UDP) allegations of reckless spending as “bogus and misleading”.
He claimed his administration inherited a struggling council and has since improved infrastructure and financial stability.
Chairman Tunkara also defended recent vehicle purchases and a U.S. trip, citing operational needs and international partnerships.
Below is the full statement from the Party:
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 prioritised 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 chief executive officer, 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 chief executive officer 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 Region. 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 is a conference that 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 where 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 official residence for chairman and a new building for KAC’s office 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- led councils’ priorities.
