Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, the Gambia) – The Third Ordinary Session of the National Assembly in the 2025 legislative year opened today with a packed agenda, central to which is the Second Reading of the Judicial Officers (Conditions of Service) Bill, 2025, presented by Attorney General and Minister of Justice Dawda Jallow.
The session will begin with an oral statement from Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Seedy Keita on the implementation and monitoring of the annual budget.
But attention is expected to quickly shift to the Judicial Officers (Conditions of Service) bill, which has already stirred debate outside the Assembly.
A section of the Gambian media has reported that the government has already increased the salaries of judicial officers even before the Assembly’s formal approval.
The reports have raised questions about due process, especially as the bill itself is yet to pass the legislative hurdle. It remains unclear how the alleged salary increment was effected, if at all.
The controversy recalls the government’s earlier attempt to overhaul judicial pay. In July this year, Minister Jallow withdrew the Judicial Officers Remuneration and Other Entitlements Bill, 2024, citing ambiguities and irregularities that could compromise its intent.
That proposed legislation sought to replace what officials described as “the outdated 2002 framework” governing pay, allowances, and benefits for judges and other judicial officers.
The move met strong resistance from sections of the public. A civic group calling itself “Concerned Citizens” staged a peaceful protest and filed a petition condemning the bill as ill-timed and self-serving.
The group accused public officials of seeking to enrich themselves while ordinary Gambians faced worsening poverty and economic hardship. They demanded greater transparency in the allocation of national resources and questioned whether revising judicial pay should be prioritized over pressing social needs.
Today’s debate on the new Judicial Officers (Conditions of Service) Bill is therefore unfolding against a backdrop of public skepticism and media scrutiny.
Lawmakers are expected to weigh not only the merits of reforming judicial compensation but also the broader issue of public trust in governance and resource allocation.
