By Fatou Sillah
The Mayor of Banjul City Council (BCC), Rohey Malick Lowe, has strongly criticized the interdiction of 27 BCC staff members, calling the decision by the Local Government Service Commission unfair and unjust.
The affected staff were placed on administrative leave in 2024 following an audit report, currently under police investigation. The Local Government Service Commission justified the move as a necessary step to facilitate the investigation into alleged financial mismanagement.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Mayor Lowe expressed deep concern over the prolonged interdiction, emphasizing the hardship it has caused for both the employees and the council.
“It is very unfortunate that we have 27 staff or 25 of our staff Interdicted. And I will say it’s very unjust. It wasn’t fair at all. Since October until now, these people are still sitting at home,” she stated.
The Mayor urged journalists to engage with the affected staff, asserting that their perspectives would reveal troubling details about the decision. She further highlighted that some employees were accused of minor financial discrepancies yet remain suspended.“Some of them are sitting down because they are accused of D500. Some of them are sitting down, and they are accused of D1,000. But their deposit slips are seen, but they are still sitting home,” she lamented.
Mayor Lowe underscored the operational strain on the council due to the absence of key personnel.
“We are paying them. It handicaps my council. As a mayor, I have to work double shifts. The CEO has to be here until eight o’clock. All the staff have to sacrifice because this is a small council,” she explained.
She further elaborated on the significant gaps left by the interdictions, noting the absence of critical roles such as the procurement officer, public relations officer, council advisor, planning manager, accounts manager, senior accounts officer, and revenue collectors.
“We lost our procurement officer, who is not here. We are struggling. The PRO is not here, We are struggling. The advisor to the council is not here. We are struggling. The planning manager is not here. We are struggling. Accounts manager is not here, the finance manager is not here, the accounts senior officer is not here. The collectors are not here,” she stressed.