By: Fatou Krubally
Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda has issued a firm call to the Ministry of Lands to urgently release title deeds for key properties belonging to the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC), describing the five-year delay as a major barrier to development and service delivery.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, the mayor revealed that since 2018, the council has been waiting on the ministry to issue title deeds for over 40 properties, including the KMC’s own headquarters and seven major markets identified for urgent infrastructure development.
“We have put this in a project document with a Bill of Quantities and requested the Ministry of Lands to provide us with our title deeds,” Bensouda said. “To date after five years, not a single title deed has been released to the council.”
Bensouda stressed that this is not a political issue but one that directly affects the wellbeing of ordinary Gambians. He said the delay has stalled vital market expansion projects that could have provided secure, organized spaces for thousands of small-scale vendors now forced to trade on the streets.
“We want to urge the ministry… This is not politics, this is about the welfare of Gambians and people in the Kanifing Municipality,” he said. “Let them provide us with these title deeds ASAP so that council can go ahead and build more market infrastructure.”
The mayor noted that if the council had received the title deeds earlier, it could have developed proper market spaces, allowing for a smoother, more humane approach to street clearing operations.
“Today, we see ‘Operation Clear the Roads’, people on the streets, trying to feed their families are being displaced,” Bensouda said. “We’re not saying the exercise should not happen, but Gambia is a poor country. Government should work with the council, not against it.”
He recalled that even the president had emphasized the need for collaboration with councils, and expressed hope that the commitment would go beyond words.
“This country needs practical cooperation not lip service. If we had our land titles, we would have created the infrastructure needed to help these vendors move into safe, legal spaces,” he added.
