By: Alieu Ceesay
In a shocking revelation, The Alkamba Time has obtained a list allegedly exposing thirty-nine ghost workers on Brikama Area Council’s payroll from 2019 to 2023.
Among the listed pseudo employees are individuals categorized as the Council’s security personnel, health and sanitation workers, rates and tax officers, and administrative staff, each earning a minimum monthly salary of D4,287. The status of these ghost workers includes retirees, those who have left the Council for years while some of them are late.
Councilor Bubacarr M Kanteh of Kartong Ward acknowledged the scandal and lamented the severity of the situation, stating that the Council has opened an investigation into the matter.
According to the Kartong Ward Councilor, this alleged dubious act was detected when the Council scrutinized the August 2023 payroll during the 2024 budget estimate session. Councilor Kanteh said the Council has resolved to expunge all the 39 nonexisting names from the 2024 payroll through a process carried out in consultation with heads of departments and units.
Explaining the Council’s record-keeping and employee updating procedures, Hon. Kanteh detailed that “Employee records are meticulously maintained through the opening of personnel files, containing crucial documents such as name, application letter, qualifications, copies of the TIN certificate, and ID card. He underscored that removing an employee’s name from payroll occurs in the following circumstances: dismissal, retirement, resignation, or demise.”
He also continued to shed light on the formal process of adding names to the Council’s payroll regime, saying, “An individual’s name is inputted into the payroll system only after receiving an appointment letter from administration, minuted to the director of finance. The director then hands the letter to the accounts clerk responsible for inserting the employee’s name into the payroll.”
As the investigations into the matter continue, the Brikama Area Council faces the challenge of regaining public trust and rectifying the systemic flaws that allowed the infiltration of ghost workers on its payroll for years, causing huge revenue loss to the Council.
Efforts to reach out to the Chairman of Brikama Area Council, Yankuba Darboe, remain unsuccessful at the time of going to the press.
