By: Seringe ST Touray
Minister of Lands, Regional Government, and Religious Affairs, Hamat NK Bah, today released the findings of the Kamalo Taskforce investigation, fulfilling his earlier commitment to transparency. “By the time I assumed office, the KAMALO Taskforce was already commissioned; however, in my first media engagement with you, I promised that once the Taskforce has completed its mandate, I will make the report public,” Minister Bah stated.
The Multi-sectoral Taskforce was established through an executive order following what the minister described as “numerous complaints from the general public.” The investigation aimed to review the land allocation process at the Kamalo layout and determine the extent of any impropriety.
“The Taskforce, upon completion of its responsibility, submitted a 34-page report with 14 recommendations to my office,” Minister Bah explained. “Upon receipt of the report, my Ministry transmitted the same to the Attorney General’s Chamber requesting for a legal advice. Consequently, the Attorney General’s office proffered two options for my consideration.”
Regarding the Kamalo layout’s status, Minister Bah announced a key modification to the original recommendations: “This is hereby varied and substituted with option number 2 of the legal opinion. Accordingly, Kamalo proper is hereby maintained, and Kamalo extension is hereby revoked in its entirety.”
The minister outlined several specific measures to address irregularities, including the development of a National Land Policy, which he confirmed is making progress: “Implementation is on high gear for the completion of NLP.”
Other adopted recommendations include:
- Revocation of allocations within Kamalo proper without ministerial approval
- Cancellation of allocations lacking proper documentation
- A requirement for company rather than personal bank statements
- Forfeiture of multiple allocations, with Minister Bah stating, “Allotees with multiple allocation hereby forfeit one to the state within Kamalo proper”
- Comprehensive environmental impact assessments before further development
In a specific case highlighted in the report, “The allocation given to one Modou Mbye without Ministerial approval is hereby revoked as per taskforce recommendation in Kamalo proper,” the minister announced.
Addressing accountability concerns, Minister Bah emphasized that the recommendation “to hold those officials accountable for the missing Kamalo file is hereby adopted.”
In his concluding remarks, the minister addressed staffing implications: “The Ministry has also noted with concern the Taskforce recommendation on staff of the Ministry adversely mentioned by the report and consequently adopted the taskforce recommendation against them.”
The implementation of these recommendations sets new parameters for land management in the Kamalo area, with specific focus on proper documentation, environmental considerations, and administrative accountability.
