|
Momodou
Denmark
11634 Posts |
 Posted - 28 Sep 2009 : 19:48:53
|
KMC Hosts Quarter of Gambian Says Mayor Yankuba Kolley
By Saikou Jammeh latio
The Mayor of KMC Yankuba Colley has said that his municipality is playing host to about one quarter or more of The Gambia’s population and ninety percent of foreigners with the very small landscape under the municipality’s jurisdiction.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily News, Mayor Colley said the municipality also hosts residents of every village in the country residing in KMC. He said even the poorest of the poor are among those staying in Municipality. Mayor Colley also spoke about a record he broke at the Municipality as it has acquired for the first time twenty five tractor heads and trailers.
The Dailynews: Mayor Kolley you came into office while there were claims of embezzlement among other forms of mismanagements. How do you assume your mayoral portfolio?
Mayor Kolley: There was nothing like that. There was nothing like embezzlement, mismanagement or whatever. I did not take office because there was such. Infact I came and found a system that is easy to work with in terms of management.
The Dailynews: But period that preceded your tenure of office was marred by hiring and firing of one mayor after the other?
Mayor Kolley: No. maybe the hiring and firing could be others. I do not think there was that much hiring and firing. There was no much of that. Actually before I even took over I was an acting mayor. The council was dissolved and I happen to be the candidate of my party. We went for election and I won with a majority. Since then I have my style of working and that is what I am doing.
The Dailynews: Where were you before acting as a Mayor?
Mayor Kolley: I was here [at the KMC] as a Councilor… then as deputy Mayor and subsequently, the acting Mayor. After the dissolution of the Council, I decided to opt for the position, this time as Mayor. My Party selected me as their candidate and I eventually won in the election.
The Dailynews: What was/were your area/s of priority when you assume office?
Mayor Kolley: My area of priority was and still is cleansing. And I equally want to make people to realise what they gained.
The Dailynews: How far have you gone in achieving these?
Mayor Kolley: We have at least done something. For the first time in the history of the Municipality, we purchased about 25 tractor heads and trailers. And we did not only stop at that, but we hired private individuals to engage in cleansing where we give them little enumeration and making improvement of the whole sector of cleansing. We Infact went up to the extent of having a foreign investor who intended [to take over the service]. But for a while, we decided to put off that because we see it as not in the best interest of the people. So we are doing a lot in the area of cleansing.
The Dailynews: That takes me to the partnership you have signed with the Canadian firm…?
Mayor Kolley: That is Green Seeds
The Dailynews: Yea?
Mayor Kolley: Yes, we signed with them because they came as genuine partners who want to venture on cleansing. After all we realise that they are not genuine partners, so we pulled-off. That is all.
The Dailynews: By all indication KMC is the fastest growing region in the country. But a recent report by NAYAFs indicates that it habours the country’s hungriest people. How do you explain this?
Mayor Kolley: Yes, that is true. I always talk about it that KMC, as everybody would portray, is the fastest growing in terms of revenue earning and local governance etc. but at the same time we are hosting the residents of every village in the country residing in KMC. I talk about it, to say the poorest of the poor are staying in KMC.
And that is the fact because KMC is hosting about one quarter or more of The Gambia’s population and ninety percent of foreigners with the very small landscape under the municipality’s jurisdiction.
The Dailynews: Perhaps this also implies that the development that the growth ought to bring is not reaching to the people?
Mayor Kolley: No! No, no, no, no, it’s not about that. Infact development is a gradual process. It cannot all happen at the same go. Even the budget we have cannot sustain all that we intend to do. But we will do our able best. Remember this is KMC within a country that is leaving equally on taxation, a limited taxation. So we have a lot of overheads that is part of our responsibility.
The Dailynews: Housing remains a problem in the country particularly your region. You had last year issued a stern warning to landlords against unreasonable increment, yet the problem still persists. Why?
Mayor Kolley: The blame lies onto the tenants. My officers are doing their outmost to ensure that does not occur. But the tenants are not supporting them. Just imagine; we are not angels to know what is happening in everyone’s compound. For instance, if a tenant is asked by a landlord to pay six months before entering into a house and the tenant does so without informing the authorities, it’s his or her problem. The ones whose complaints we have received, we are treating them. We are taking some landlords to court. And we are not an institution that would stand to say “dew moma boleh” (someone has reported it to me). No. All what we want is to make both the tenants and the landlords survive peacefully.
The Dailynews: Maybe it also has to do with the level of sensitization on the part of the tenants and landlord?
Mayor Kolley: No, no, no, we have done that. We have done the sensitisation. Sensitisation cannot be more than going to the radio, national TV and the communities to talk about it. We have contacted Imams of Mosques for them to equally talk about it. Sensitization cannot be more than that. People are not prepared. Maybe the other thing is when you are in a haste to eat and they ask you to go and wash your hands you may see it as a waste of time. But for us, if we have any good evidence against such persons we take you to court.
The Dailynews: To what extend have you succeeded?
Mayor Kolley: The rent office is doing it. They used to sit once a week, but it is twice a week now.
The Dailynews: The problem is not only on the number of months to pay but even the price …?
Mayor Kolley: Even the price! They should not exorbitantly increase the rent. Infact who ever increases without the notice of the rent office, you have a problem. That is the law.
The Dailynews: Are you saying that there is a price tag?
Mayor Kolley: You see the personnel of the rent office they will go and investigate before tagging a price. But if you tag [a price] before knowing the type of investment, you may be wrong.
The Daily News: KMC will be divided into two administrative regions sooner or later according to the president during the state opening of the 2009 legislative year. In your opinion, do you consider this to be a wise move?
Mayor Kolley: No comment
The Dailynews: Well if eventually divided, will it affect your already existing development plans for the region.
Mayor Kolley: No comment
The Dailynews: The recent flooding has spared no region in the country. In KMC, places like Kotu, Jeshwang and EboTown were the hardest hit. What does your municipality have for these starved and displaced people?
Mayor Kolley: I think that is no hidden thing for anyone living in the region. We are not waiting for anybody to intervene. Rather, we have a disaster response team that is alerted 24 hours of the day. They are here at all times. And when I call them anytime I get them. And whoever has problem anytime we go there to see what we can do. Note that some of these disasters are man-made.
The Dailynews: Are you implying that the victims caused problem they are facing?
Mayor Kolley: Yes, because if you buy a compound very near the riverside, obviously when the river starts flooding you will be affected. But some are natural too. And we were not experiencing this kind of rain before; so people went to stay at swampy areas. When you go to other areas you can equally know it is the problem of the settlers. If you go up to the riverside to build a house but you do not have money to build a lasting house, you cause yourself a problem.
The Dailynews: Can’t KMC intervene at a time before settling?
Mayor Kolley: Yes we are doing that. For us we are not leaving anything behind. We are moving with everything and we don’t take anything small. The management is always ahead of things.
The Dailynews: With regards to EboTown, the problem is perennial. And recently KMC in collaboration with Sound City embarked on a fund raising show with a slogan Operation Safe Ebo Town Flood Victims. To what extent does this help?
Mayor Kolley: It did indeed help. It has sold the ideology and the work we want at the place was done. Infact there has been a lot of improvement at EboTown this year. Otherwise the flood would have been more disastrous. But because there are so many developments after that fund raising show, and the sensitisation coupled with other things, has made EboTown not to suffer much.
The Dailynews: Again you are into business of importing fish and meat from United States, in partnership with AGOA. Can you elaborate briefly on this?
Mayor Kolley: It is a give and take thing. As a municipality, it’s legal that we can equally invest and we have a social responsibility. We would not allow people to use the poor people, make them suffer by making the prices very expensive. This is why we feel that whosoever is a genuine partner is highly welcome.
The Dailynews: Essentially why do you go in for the business, is it because you want to make profit or to safe the poor as you said?
Mayor Kolley: I want to moderate the price for the poor to equally have access to meat and fish.
The Dailynews: Don’t you think this could be seen as a matter paying Peter to pay Paul because the businessmen will rob-off their sales?
Mayor Kolley: Come-on, how about KMC? What are we? We are equally given those entitlements that we can invest. We are not robbing anybody. If the ple.
businessmen cannot have the sympathy on the poor people we as the people that they voted-in, should have sympathy for them.
The Dailynews: But they are in KMC as well?
Mayor Kolley: Yea that’s it. They should have known that. That the price hiking that they are doing is to their fellow people in the municipality. For us we have a social responsibility and we will carry it out. We are not looking for any profit but to help the people. I told them I would intervene. You see me; I would intervene in all sectors that I believe would make the people of this municipality to enjoy.
The Dailynews: Perhaps their reason for hiking is based on the economic principle of supply and demand?
Mayor Kolley: You see this is a liberal market. There is no price control. Had it been there is, we would have controlled the price. The only way to control is to jump into the competition and there are more things coming.
The Dailynews: This may be a reality because government for instance has made it clear that the reason for being reluctant to reduce the price of fuel even though it has reduced at the world market is because they were running into losses and now that it is reduced, they have to maintain the price so as to recover the losses incurred. Could it not be the case for them too?
Mayor Kolley: Now you are talking about government. Me, I am not talking any thing about the government. I will not talk anything about the government. I am going to talk entirely about my municipality and the people.
Source: The Daily News
|
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
|
Topic Locked
