By Alieu Ceesay
Kemo Bojang, the Nominated Youth Councillor for the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC), and Farimang Mane, President of Eco-Tech Africa, appeared on Monday before the Local Government Commission of Inquiry (LGCI). Bojang testified about his role and responsibilities as the representative of metropolitan youth in the council, while Mane discussed his company’s contract with the KMC for revenue collection services.
Councillor Bojang, who advocates for youth welfare, discussed his involvement in council activities, especially in planning and implementing programs for young people.
“My work plan is based on what the representatives of the youths of the constituency bring, and the representatives of these youths are the representatives of the KMYC [Kanifing Municipal Youth Council]. So, they would bring the issues affecting the youth in the constituency when it’s formalized on the document,” he explained.
Bojang highlighted that he has accompanied the Lord Mayor of KMC on tours to engage with young people and address their concerns for actionable solutions.
However, during the hearing, Councillor Bojang admitted to receiving invoices bearing his name for payments he was unaware of. Lead Counsel Gomez noted that due processes were not followed in these transactions, a claim Bojang acknowledged.
In another session, Farimang Mane, President of Eco-Tech Africa, also testified before the LGCI about his company’s contract with the KMC for revenue collection services.
Mane, appearing for the second time on Monday, 9 December 2024, presented the Eco-Tech contract and related documents, including 14 letters exchanged with the KMC. He testified that the contract, signed for five years, included a baseline revenue figure of D1,600,000 provided by the council.
“In the long run, we realized that the baseline the KMC provided was misleading. The real baseline was between D800,000 and D900,000,” Mane revealed. Despite this discrepancy, he said Eco-Tech managed to increase revenue by 50%.
When questioned about the failure to verify the baseline figure, Mane admitted, “I did sign a contract, and I wanted to support the municipal council.”
He explained that his decision was influenced by promises of future engagements with the municipality, including access to other revenue-generating avenues like markets.
“I came to the municipality to increase the revenue for the KMC because I live in KMC,” he added.
Mane also testified that KMC stopped using the machines provided under the contract about two years ago, reverting to the paper ticketing system despite the five-year agreement. He rejected claims that the machines were faulty, stating, “The machines had no problems. The problem is the users because they do not want transparency.”
He further noted that Eco-Tech has contacted KMC to restart the project but has not received a response.
