By Binta Jaiteh
Mayor Ahmed Talib Bensouda, the re-elected mayor of the Kanifing Municipality Council (KMC) has urged the government to collaborate and partner (with councils) so that together “we can demonstrate to the people that through unity we can enhance fast development.”
Speaking on Saturday at the swearing-in ceremony of the 19 councilors of the Kanifing Municipality, Mayor Talib said this election cycle represents the second multi-party local elections concluded in the past 20 years where voters were able to vote for their candidate of choice.
Also, he said, during their campaigns, they listened to the dreams, needs, and aspirations of the people for a council that is even more in tune with the needs of the people who are hungry for development. “We have heard you and I am overwhelmed by the trust you have placed in me to grant my councilors. This council will strive every day to fulfill promises to the people to make this next term one of the best for the record,” he promised.
He, therefore, recommitted himself to the plans to accelerate growth that they have previously registered; saying this new term will be shorter and will expire exactly in four years.
“I used this opportunity to call on my fellow councilors and the staff of the Council to collectively rise to the challenge to work together even more closely for our common master which is the people of KMC,” he appealed.
Mayor Bensouda said in this new term in office, the council will focus on road development within the municipality, the development of a low-cost municipal council, and a bus transport service to construct affordable housing to ease the congestion and rent burden on the less privileged people.
Also, to mechanize and process waste management at the Bakoteh dump site and expand on market infrastructure to increase youth engagement and participation in development.
However, we will establish a public information office to provide guidance to the residents of KM and continue to ask for more decentralization of functions from the central government to take more responsibility for the needs of the KM to “serve our people better and more efficiently.”
“We invite the government to let go of the authority to KMC so that we can ease its development burden, this will enable the government to focus more on their oversight functions to guide us and assist us to increase our capacity to serve,” he stated.
He commended and thanked the people for believing in their vision, accepting and validating their plans for 2023 to 2027.