Former KMC mayor admits his failure to manage Bakoteh dumpsite

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By AMADOU MANJANG

The former mayor of Kanifying Municipal Council (KMC) of The Gambia has admitted his failure to manage the hazardous Bakoteh dumpsite after 12 years in office.

Yankuba Colley served as mayor of KMC during former president Yahya Jammeh’s administration before leaving office in 2017.

“My biggest failure is the Bakoteh dumpsite,” he admitted.

He made these remarks at the inauguration of Tallinding North Ward Development Committees office Saturday.

Bakoteh dumpsite was temporarily closed in April to July 2017 after concern resident blocked access to the site following protests.

Angry protesters had dumped huge heap of waste at KMC headquarters by youth and women that conducted cleaning exercise, locally dubbed “set-settal” at the Serrekunda market.

Another waste was dumped at the Serrekunda-Westfield market junction causing traffic jam.

He said waste is difficult and expensive to management as he bought 30 trucks to manage waste in his municipality which proved futile, but quick to say that he has done his quota in developing KMC.

“I have nothing to regret. We need to change our thinking,” he said, boasting that his biggest achievement was the erection of Charles Jaw Memorial School.

He underscored the need to support the incumbent mayor of KMC, Talib Ahmed Bensouda to achieve his waste management goals.

He concluded by calling for attitudinal change toward waste management as throwing waste is a common place in communities, saying such practice has no political party boundary.