When the Gambia government announced the upward revision of civil servants’ salaries this year, local governments such as the Rohey Malick Lowe-led BCC and Yankuba Darboe-led BAC reportedly followed suit, but reports reaching JollofNews indicated that the Talib Ahmed Bensouda-led KMC would also follow suit one year down the line amid renewed agitation for salary increase by council staff.
The Gambia government this year upped the salaries of civil servants by 30%, transport allowance by 100% and residential allowance by 105%.
At the time of the salary increase several months ago, KMC administration reportedly claimed that it could not extend a similar gesture to its staff as it “was unable” to shoulder the financial burden of the increase.
However, reliable sources informed JollofNews that the council has now shown a commitment to revise staff salaries 30% upward by the beginning of this year as council staff reportedly continue to press for better pay.
“The council has committed to increase the salaries of staff by early next year,” one source informed this medium.
Meanwhile, mayor Bensouda has now started responding favourably to requests for financial assistance one year after they were made.
When the waste pickers, tricycle waste collectors and donkey-cart associations approached the KM mayor for financial support sometime in 2024, he did not respond.
However, the young mayor gave the associations a financial boost this week by injecting D100,000 into their respective coffers.
In the build up to the launch of his political movement and afterwards, Bensouda has opened up his compound gates wide-open to the public, becoming gregarious and generous.
But are all these latest gestures of young mayor altruistic or are just driven by his ambition to become the tenant-in-chief at No.1 Marina in January of 2027? Only time will tell.
