Written by: Seringe S.T. Touray
In the municipality of Kanifing, our most densely populated urban area, Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda faces a political battle that reveals the complex power dynamics in post-Jammeh Gambia. A recent interview on Peter Gomez’s “Coffee Time” radio program provides insight into the challenges of local governance that Bensouda alleges occur when central authorities view municipal success as potentially threatening.
Elected as an opposition candidate, Bensouda has spent his tenure navigating what he describes as systematic attempts by the central government to undermine his administration’s effectiveness. Despite these challenges, he claims significant achievements in waste management, institutional reform, and infrastructure development.
“We’ve achieved a lot. I think where we found KMC and where it is now is a huge difference,” Bensouda stated during the interview. “Number one I always say is the institutional reform. KMC was a well-known political place, political bureau for the then APRC. It was used to propel their politics.”
According to Bensouda, the transformation from a partisan political bureau to a service-oriented institution has not been without resistance. During the interview, he described what he characterizes as a pattern of interference from central government officials who he claims view his success as politically threatening.
Perhaps the most revealing segment of the interview concerns KMC’s ambitious road network project, which Bensouda describes as “by far the most ambitious municipal project in the history of this country.” The project aims to build 15 kilometers of feeder roads and 6 kilometers of drains, entirely funded by local taxpayers’ money without international grants or loans.
Bensouda claims what should have been celebrated as local government initiative instead became a battleground with central authorities. He explains how initial cooperation from the National Roads Authority (NRA) allegedly dissolved after the project gained public attention:
“The design of the roads was done by the NRA. We don’t have the ability to design roads in-house,” Bensouda explained. “From the design stage, the council approved the roads. We moved to the procurement stage. The procurement stage was the same team involved. Actually, the current contractor was recommended by NRA.”
The relationship allegedly soured after the project’s public launch. “Once we launched it and then it became news and it became of course all the fanfare, etc., that’s when we started getting signals that something is brewing,” Bensouda recounted.
According to the mayor, officials suddenly invalidated previously signed agreements and imposed new requirements that he considers financially impossible:
“They called our team and said, look, we have to review the MOU. We actually don’t approve the road designs,” Bensouda stated. “They said, well, first of all, the roads need to be widened because people need to be able to park on the roads. Secondly, there should be allocation of budget for the movement of services… Thirdly, the roads need lights. Fourthly, if I remember correctly, the roads should involve the demolition of homes.”
Bensouda views these demands as “an administrative tactic to block the project,” noting that “with all these things, the project will run into the billions.”
Despite what he characterizes as obstruction, Bensouda remains defiant: “Unless they want to come and shoot the tires of the bulldozers, we are going to continue working.”
The interview reveals another challenge Bensouda identifies: control over key personnel. In our country, local councils cannot hire or fire their own staff, including the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who is appointed by the central government.
“These are issues that impede on our ability to deliver services,” Bensouda explained. “We cannot hire our own people. We cannot fire our own people.” He compared this to running a media organization: “Imagine West Coast Radio, you couldn’t hire your team or fire your team. It would be dysfunctional.”
This arrangement, according to Bensouda, led to years of conflict when the central government appointed a CEO who allegedly bypassed council authority. The subsequent legal battles, he claims, severely impacted municipal operations:
“We experienced a slowdown in all productivity at every level of the council. We experienced confusion. Every staff that had a grievance used that opportunity to see how they could partner with the ministry and fight council and cripple council,” Bensouda stated.
Perhaps most candidly, Bensouda asserts that the government’s actions against him are politically motivated. When discussing a commission of inquiry established to investigate his administration, he stated:
“It can inflict reputational damage… there would be an attempt to block my future political career, because a lot of them perceive me as a future political threat for higher office.”
When asked if he considers himself such a threat, Bensouda responded simply: “I consider myself one.”
The interview presents a picture of a young, ambitious mayor who claims to be determined to deliver services despite significant obstacles. It also raises questions about local governance systems and the relationship between municipal and central government authorities.
Bensouda argues for greater autonomy for local governments, pointing out that there are already oversight mechanisms in place:
“The FPAC committee, Finance Public Accounts Committee, oversees all council’s accounts. The National Audit Office audits us annually. The ministry should create regulations and have oversight function and be sending quarterly inspectors to ensure the council is complying with the regulations and the laws of The Gambia.”
Despite facing what he describes as “all these assaults,” Bensouda claims that his administration has maintained services throughout: “We were never late on salaries during these three years. We were able to maintain the delivery of services.”
He points to his electoral success as vindication: “I won by doubling my votes in 2018. I captured more council seats than in 2018. I had reduced the opposition in my council from seven to four.”
As our country continues its democratic journey, the relationship between central and local government illustrated in this interview highlights the ongoing development of our governance structures and the challenges that arise in balancing local autonomy with national oversight.
For Mayor Bensouda, the path forward appears clear despite the alleged obstacles: “I always say it’s a public office, it’s not my home. There’s nothing personal about it. It’s a fight, it’s a game, I guess, to them, but it’s a dangerous game. They’re playing with people’s lives.”
