By Haddy Touray
A leaked investigative panel report on lands allocations at the Sukuta Salagi Layout Proper has revealed that the Department of Physical Planning has failed to honour the State Lands and Compensation Act.
The panel made a recommendation to The Gambia Government to pay immediate compensation to affected Kabilolu in Sukuta with a view to ending any further encroachment in the area.
The Department of Physical Planning recently demolished 17 compounds at Salaji Proper, heightening the existing tensions between the department and the affected Kabilolu in Sukuta.
The investigative panel was set up in 2019 after the Kenebaring Kabilo of Sukuta petitioned senior officials of the Physical Planning Department, accusing it of illegal allocations and selling lands in the layout without consultation or approval of the affected families.
According to the leaked report, more than 860 compounds were allocated at the Salagi Layout Proper to individual Gambians as well as senior officials of the Department of Physical Planning, revealing that officials of the department have failed to follow due process as dictated by the State Lands Acquisition and Compensation Act.
The investigative panel report also indicated that the Gambia Government never compensated the affected families in Sukuta for the allocation of plots of lands. The panel made a recommendation to the Government to immediately pay compensations to members of the Kenebaring Kabilo, whose lands were affected by the allocations.
The report also stated that lands reserved for public spaces and hospitals have been encroached by both the affected families of Sukuta and officials of Physical Planning, highlighting that a plot of land that was specifically reserved for public hospital was demarcated and re-allocated to one Borry Jaiteh and Dr. Yankuba Gassama for private use, defeating the purpose of the allocation.
The panel also recommended that in order to resolve the wrangling at Salagi Proper Layout permanently, the Government has to engage the aggrieved party [Kenebaring kabilo] in a dialogue for a possible compensation. The panel reported that the Kenebaring Kabilo has never been compensated for their lands as required by the law.
The panel recommended that Kenebaring Kabilo be compensated with immediate effect as required under the Land Acquisition and Compensation Act cap 57:06, Laws of The Gambia, adding that the encroachments on the reserved land by some disgruntled people of Kenebareng Kabilo be demolished immediately.
It further recommended that intruders be charged with criminal trespass and forceful entry contrary to section 285 and 80 of the Criminal Code cap. 10 Vol. III Laws of The Gambia. It also recommended that to reduce land grabbing in Salagi, State should enter into land re-entry exercise for those who fail to honour the terms and conditions attached to their allocations.
Members of the investigation panel include: PS Buba Sanyang (MLGLS), ASP Abdoulie Sowe (GPF), CIP Dodou Sanneh, Inspector Lamin Jammeh (GPF) and Inspector Buba Manjang (GPF). The panel submitted its report to various stakeholders but not the affected Kabilos of Sukuta.
