Bensouda Says KMC Has Set the Standard for Waste Management in The Gambia

By Fatou Sillah

Talib Ahmed Bensouda, the Coalition 2026 presidential candidate and mayor of the Kanifing Municipal Council, has defended his administration’s record on waste management, saying KMC has transformed garbage collection and established a model that other councils across The Gambia have begun to follow.

Speaking at the Coalition 2026 Unity Rally in Brikama, Bensouda pointed to the council’s acquisition of 32 waste compactor trucks in 2019 as one of the signature achievements of his tenure.

He described the purchase as unprecedented among local councils in The Gambia and said other municipalities have since adopted similar approaches.

Bensouda said KMC now collects about 500 tonnes of waste a day—an amount he claimed exceeds the combined daily collection of all other area councils in the country. He cited Kerewan and Brikama Area Councils among those that have followed KMC’s approach.

“Leave KMC alone,” Bensouda said. “The work we have done in KMC has never happened in area council history in the Gambia.”

He also criticized the central government and councils led by the governing National People’s Party, arguing that they had not produced comparable results in waste management despite having greater resources and more time in government.

Bensouda recalled the difficulties KMC faced when its compactor trucks arrived in 2019. He said the council was required to pay D13.1 million at the port before the vehicles could be released, an episode he has previously cited as an example of the financial challenges confronting local governments.

Turning to his presidential bid, Bensouda said his experience running KMC would help prepare him for the responsibilities of the presidency. He said that by the time of the election, he would have accumulated nearly a decade of experience in local government and argued that such administrative experience would distinguish his candidacy.

Bensouda has made his record at KMC a central part of his campaign, presenting the municipality’s performance as evidence of how he would approach national governance if elected president.