By: Fatou Krubally
Two key figures in local government finance came up against tough questioning on Monday as they made appearances before the Local Government Commission of Inquiry.
Bunja Jallow and Namang Camara were pressed on discrepancies and gaps in financial records, dating from 2018 to 2024. Their testimonies revealed startling details about missing funds and a lack of oversight in critical areas of financial management.
Bunja Jallow, who has worked his way up from a revenue collector to an accounts assistant since his promotion in 2008, rendered testimony about the handling of significant financial sums, including D15 million worth of transactions recorded in the cash books over the past six years. The cash books, covering transactions from 2018 to 2024, were officially entered into evidence under the reference LGC KEAC BJ2.
“The records in these cash books show a total of approximately D15 million in revenue, including taxes, service fees, and government allocations,” Jallow confirmed.
“But not all of it was reconciled correctly, especially in earlier years. Some of the entries are unclear or inconsistent,” he added.
Despite his extensive experience, Jallow admitted that there were times when errors crept into the financial records due to a lack of proper training and an insufficient number of qualified staff, overseeing the finances. He recalled one instance in 2021 when a significant amount of tax revenue from local businesses, totaling over D3 million, was not properly recorded due to a mistake in the rate entry.
“We had a few challenges with tracking the exact amounts because of the system we were using, and that led to confusion over the reported totals,” he revealed.
When the commission raised concerns about the lack of reconciliation between the cash books and other financial records, Jallow explained that while the records were updated regularly, there were no formal processes for periodic audits or reconciliations.
This meant that some discrepancies went unnoticed for years, creating gaps in accountability.
“We didn’t always have the capacity to reconcile everything,” he admitted. “Sometimes, the pressure of managing the daily inflow of revenue meant we couldn’t keep up with all the checks and balances.”
Namang Camara, a revenue collector who is responsible for inputting rates into the RAJDE management system, was also questioned about his role in the finance department. Counsel Gomez asked him about the importance of financial reconciliation, but Camara was adamant that it was not his responsibility.
“I input the rates and taxes into the system, but the task of reconciling records was never assigned to me,” Camara explained. “I was focused on making sure the rates were accurately entered into the RAJDE system, and beyond that, I had no involvement in the oversight process.”
This left the commission with more questions as it has been pointed out that the lack of a clear, designated individual or team for reconciliations could have allowed discrepancies in the records to slip through the cracks.
Counsel Gomez expressed frustration at the lack of transparency in financial management.
“How is it possible that such a large amount of revenue could be recorded without anyone specifically assigned to ensure the accuracy and reconciliation of the data?” he asked.
The commission noted that some of the entries in the cash books were also inconsistent with reports from other departments, with figures showing significant differences in revenue collection and disbursement. One instance involved over D1 million in reported revenue from 2019, which was missing from the system and unaccounted for. As the session closed, the commission made it clear that they would be reviewing all financial records in detail before calling back both Jallow and Camara for further questioning.
“We’ll need to conduct a full review of these cash books,” said one of the commissioners. “We are particularly concerned with the missing amounts and discrepancies, especially in the earlier years. The public needs transparency on where these funds have gone.”