By Makutu Manneh
Yankuba Darboe, Chairman of the Brikama Area Council (BAC), has attributed delays in taking disciplinary action against council staff accused of corruption to the centralized structure of the Local Government Service Commission, which operates under the Ministry of Lands, Regional Government, and Religious Affairs.
Speaking in an interview with QTV, Darboe was asked about the status of investigations involving council employees he suspended shortly after assuming office over allegations of corruption. He said progress on the cases has been slow because local councils lack the authority to independently determine the fate of implicated staff members.
According to Darboe, councils are required to refer such cases to the Local Government Service Commission for action. However, he criticized the commission for what he described as a lack of urgency in handling corruption-related matters, arguing that the current system has enabled some accused officials to evade accountability.
“Someone that you caught red-handed stealing millions is not somebody you should be transferring to another region,” Darboe said. “What they have done is they have moved some people to Banjul, Mansakonko, and other regions. This is not the way you fight corruption; you’ve got to set an example and deter others from it, but that deterrence factor has been our number one problem.”
Darboe called for a comprehensive review of the local governance framework, noting that the Local Government Service Commission was originally intended to operate in a decentralized manner within individual councils. He said the subsequent centralization of its functions under the Ministry of Local Government has made it difficult for councils to effectively address misconduct.
“That makes it very difficult for the councils,” he said.
The BAC chairman further explained that corruption cases submitted by his council must compete for attention alongside matters from other local government authorities across the country, including Banjul City Council and Kanifing Municipal Council.
“We have to wait for them to decide what will be the fate of the people we are reporting,” Darboe said. “So, for me, they are not taking corruption seriously.”
His remarks add to ongoing debates about accountability mechanisms within local government institutions and whether greater autonomy should be granted to councils in handling disciplinary and anti-corruption matters.
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