By Makutu Manneh
Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda on Monday continued his testimony before the Local Government Commission of Inquiry, focusing on the appointment of lawyer Yassin Senghore as the council’s legal adviser.
Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez reminded the mayor that Ms. Senghore’s selection came from a shortlist of three lawyers presented to the council, noting that she had prior involvement with the municipality as an expert member of its Establishment and Appointment Committee.
Asked whether proper procedures were followed in her appointment, Mayor Bensouda said he believed they were. He explained that the full council had discussed the matter and subsequently mandated the Establishment and Appointment Committee to take charge of the process.
The mayor told the commission that the committee recommended Ms. Senghore due to her familiarity with the council’s challenges and institutional framework. However, when pressed on whether the two other shortlisted lawyers were contacted or considered, he admitted, “I cannot say that with authority.”
Counsel Gomez pointed out that the commission had found no evidence of such consultations, suggesting that this omission could be inconsistent with GPPA regulations, which require requests for proposals in such processes.
In response, Mayor Bensouda said he was generally aware of procurement rules but stressed that the committee was responsible for managing the process. “I am familiar with requests for proposals, although I don’t deal with them. The establishment and appointment committee was doing the process, so to say what was done and what was not done, I would not know,” he said.
He acknowledged that the procedure sparked debate within the council but added that the general council ultimately endorsed the committee’s recommendation. “But whether they called all three lawyers or interviewed all, I wouldn’t know that; it would be in their meeting minutes,” he told the inquiry.