GLMA Board Chair Fires Back at Allegations from Central Abattoir Management
GLMA Staff at Press Conference © Askanwi
By Fatoumata Jaiteh
On Monday, 27th January 2025, during a press engagement organised by The Gambia Livestock Marketing Agency (GLMA), the Chairman of the GLMA Board of Directors, Mr. Ebrima AJ Cham, responded to allegations from the manager of the Central Abattoir, Maddy Kuyateh, and his 21-member staff that GLMA terminated their contracts. The GLMA Board Chairman also countered allegations that 3 GLMA staff members received illegal or illicit allowances from the Central Abattoir, among other claims, which he says are without merit.
During the presser, Mr. Cham highlighted that in January 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food Security, through the permanent secretary, wrote a letter directing the manager of the Central Abattoir to report to GLMA on all matters relating to the abattoir's day-to-day affairs, thereby relegating the abattoir's matters to GLMA's supervisory role.
Reacting to allegations of non-renewal of the contracts of the Abattoir Manager and his 21 staff, Mr. Cham stated that "contract appointments are governed by the terms and conditions stipulated in the agreement or appointment letter." He added that renewing a contract after its expiration date "cannot be automatic or compulsory if it is not part of the agreement," he said. Mr. Cham also noted that "in the case of the Abattoir staff," renewal was not part of the contract.
A letter GLMA shared with the press dated 15th January 2024 from the Ministry of Agriculture indicates Mr. Maddy Kuyateh's appointment as Central Abattoir manager for 12 months and that the contract will end on 31st December 2024. Based on the letter, Mr. Kuyateh is therefore "required to conform to the general rules and policy guidelines of the Abuko Central Abattoir," which the letter states "will be enforced from time to time.”
The letter further states that the appointment "may be terminated either by your employer or yourself upon giving a month’s notice in writing or payment of one month's salary instead of notice," the letter states. The manager’s appointment is supposedly tied to the 21 staff he appointed to manage the abattoir.
On the allegations of illegal or illicit payment of allowances to GLMA staff, the Board Chair, Mr. Cham, fired back to say that the Board of Directors of GLMA approved responsibility allowances following a formal request from Mr. Maddy Kuyateh himself, the manager of the Central Abattoir, who wrote a letter to the board, asserting that the senior staff members of the Abattoir were working overtime.
Given the approval, Mr. Cham noted that fuel allowances for the following were allocated monthly: Maddy Kuyateh D6,000, Matar Charreh D4,000, Binta Jatta D4,000, and Momodou Kinteh D4,000. In addition, fuel allowances were also approved for three GLMA staff members: D7,000 for the Director General of GLMA, D6,000 for the Director of Finance and Field Services, and D5,000 for the Finance Assistant. GLMA Board Director Cham claimed that the reasons for the approval of the fuel allowance for the three GLMA staff members were a result of their added responsibility of supervising the day-to-day affairs of the Abattoir, which he said required transportation to report to the Ministry on matters relating to the Abattoir.
The Director General of GLMA, Mr. Momodou Darboe, also addressed the press, highlighting the issue of electricity, amongst other things, as part of the reasons for the non-renewal of the contracts of the abattoir management staff. According to him, the Board of Directors expressed concern over the "exceptionally high electricity consumption" amounting to D60,000 per month as reported by the Abattoir management. Director Darboe noted that, in light of this, GLMA "hired an electrician, and the survey reveals that there were illegal connections," he noted.
The GLMA Director General added that after they had conducted the survey, they contacted the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC), but NAWEC failed to produce a report, which was why GLMA had to resort to a different entity that was registered with GPPC, which later conducted a separate survey and came up with a report that shows that the previous amount of D60,000 that the Central Abattoir Management claims to spend on electricity monthly was on the high side. Rather, the survey report "indicates roughly D41,0000 was used instead of D60,000," as highlighted by the Abattoir management body. Director Darboe alleged that when the Abattoir management discovered the illegal connections, "they went and disconnected all" of them.
Darboe further stated that the following month, he contacted the abattoir manager, who later informed him that the D60 thousand that the abattoir bought for electricity had not finished and that it went up to the 15th of the following month. In light of this, Director General Darboe indicated that the abattoir electricity supply was tampered with, adding that it's because the illegal connections were confirmed.
In another letter shared with the press, GLMA wrote to the Ministry of Agriculture on 8th July 2024 addressed to the permanent secretary, highlighting the findings of the Internal Audit Directorate signed by Isatou Sillah and copied to the DG GLMA. The findings in the letter indicate that;
The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture authorised GLMA to supervise the management of the Central Abattoir on 15th January 2024.
Although the GLMA management notified all 40 tenants' shops and signed rental agreement contracts, only 36 of them paid two (2) months' rent from January 2024 to June 2024; nonpayment (arrear) of signed rental agreement contracts by the tenants' shop at the Abattoir amounts to GMD 136,500.00.
Landing fees are not being collected by the abattoir.
There is no control over the sale of manure.
Poor drainage system at the slaughter ground,
A review of the GLMA NAWEC cash power receipts from January to date shows that the monthly consumption of D60,000 for cash power of the Central Abattoir is on the high side.
The review later indicated that the abattoir managing body "may not have the expertise on how to manage an abattoir," adding that, therefore, there is a "risk of misappropriation of public funds" and a lack of attaining the objectives of the abattoir. The letter ends.
