By: Haddy Touray
An internal audit report from the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC), obtained by the Voice Newspaper has identified alleged financial irregularities totaling more than D26 million at the Bakoteh Fish Market and Ice Plant (BFMIP) between 1 January 2020 and 20 September 2024.
The audit report, submitted to the KMC’s Chief Executive Officer on 8 April 2025, estimated a total financial loss of D26,093,718 arising from alleged discrepancies in revenue collection, under-banking of funds, unaccounted revenues, excessive overdrafts, unlawful payments and weaknesses in financial management.
According to the report, the largest irregularity involved a D8,248,785 variance between ticket sales and recorded revenue. Other findings included D1,379,000 in unaccounted canteen allocation revenue, D876,790 in under-submitted revenue, D1,854,902 in under-submitted and under-banked canteen revenue, D3,947,766.04 in under-banked revenue and D3,743,441.68 in unaccounted funds.
The report also cited D263,104.50 in undeclared or unrecorded revenue, an excessive overdraft of D5,764,930, and D1,197,324.74 in unpresented, cancelled or uncashed cheques.
Auditors further questioned the payment of a D15,000 honorarium to the councillor for Bakoteh Ward, describing it as unlawful, and raised concerns over what they termed abnormal transport payments and poor financial record-keeping.
The report stated that allocations of market canteens were supported only by allocation letters, with no receipts or other documentary evidence to confirm payments made by beneficiaries.
It added that auditors found discrepancies between the cash books maintained by canteen revenue collectors and the records held by the council’s accounts unit relating to canteen allocation and transfer fees.
The report further alleged that members of the audit team faced attempts to prevent the audit from proceeding after an audit engagement letter was issued to the acting manager of the Bakoteh Fish Market and Ice Plant.
According to the report, the councillor for Bakoteh Ward questioned the Internal Audit Department’s authority to audit the market, despite provisions contained in the Local Government Finance and Audit Act, 2004, and the Financial and Accounting Manual for Local Government Authorities (2009).
The report also stated that, before the completion of fieldwork, the acting manager of the facility was relieved of her duties, a development the auditors said limited their access to information and delayed management responses to audit observations.
It further referred to a memorandum dated 17 October 2024, signed by Wurra Bah, Deputy Director of Administration, informing the Director of Internal Audit that the systems audit of the Bakoteh Fish Market operations should be suspended until further notice.
Contacted for comment, Landing Colley, Director of Internal Audit at the Kanifing Municipal Council, declined to discuss the report, saying administrative procedures prevented him from commenting on the matter.
No immediate response was available from the Kanifing Municipal Council or the officials named in the report regarding the audit findings or the allegations contained therein.