Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – Top officials from The Gambia’s Ministry of Health on Monday appeared before the Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) to defend a contentious GMD37 million vehicle procurement flagged by the National Audit Office (NAO) as irregular.
The controversy revolves around the purchase of 14 Toyota Prado vehicles by the Ministry’s Project Coordination Unit (PCU) through KMF Technologies, a deal auditors say breached procurement rules and resulted in a significant financial loss to the state.
Ministry Defends Selection of KMF Technologies
Appearing before FPAC, Fatou Sagar Jagne, the PCU Project Coordinator, maintained that the selection of KMF Technologies was conducted through a transparent evaluation process based on technical and financial criteria.
She dismissed comparisons between KMF Technologies and CFAO Motors, the authorized Toyota dealer, arguing that CFAO did not participate in the tender.
“The difference in prices between a bidder and a non-bidder is merely speculative,” Jagne told the committee, rejecting the alleged CFAO invoice dated 22 September 2023 as unsupported by official evidence.
She further stated that the procurement followed both World Bank and government procurement guidelines, encouraging those in doubt to consult the relevant grant and financing agreements between the Ministry of Finance and the World Bank.
Auditor Counters: Procurement Was Prearranged
However, Modou Marega of the National Audit Office strongly disagreed, insisting that the comparison with CFAO Motors was justified because KMF Technologies purchased the same vehicles directly from CFAO.
Citing two invoices dated 22 September 2023, Marega alleged that the purchase was effectively prearranged before the bidding process concluded.
“The PCU could have avoided this costly procurement by purchasing directly from CFAO, the authorized dealer,” he argued, accusing the PCU of using intermediaries to inflate prices.
According to the NAO, the use of KMF Technologies led to an overpayment of GMD37.394 million, funds the auditors described as a “significant waste of public resources.”
They recommended immediate recovery of the overpaid amount and called on the World Bank, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Health to take corrective measures and prevent similar occurrences in future procurements.
Minister Samateh Cites Reforms and Investigations
In his response, Minister of Health Dr. Ahmadou Lamin Samateh said the ministry had already initiated internal reforms to strengthen accountability within the PCU.
He explained that the audit focused on the FAIR Project, which was originally under the Ministry of Gender before being transferred to the Ministry of Health at the request of the World Bank due to capacity constraints.
“We have now put in place internal control mechanisms, including an internal auditor to vet all PCU transactions before any payment is made,” Dr. Samateh said.
He added that discussions were ongoing to return the project to the Ministry of Gender for enhanced oversight, in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and the World Bank.
The FPAC Chair reminded the session that the audit report recommended an immediate refund of the overpaid sum. In response, Dr. Samateh revealed that a police investigation into the matter had been completed and that the case had been forwarded to the Ministry of Justice for legal opinion.
