The cancer of corruption in The Gambia, like in many other African countries, has so far been immune to treatment. And, like any other ill, whether social or medical, the common Gambian man suffers most. But as some animals are more equal than others, also some institutions are more corrupt than others. The result of our random sampling and observation shows the following five government agencies are considered to be most corrupt.

The Gambia Revenue Authority

Custom officers are undoubtedly the richest among civil servants, known for amassing illegitimate wealth. Most of them own expensive houses and nice cars that are disproportionate to their salaries.

“I know a custom officer in my area that sent his son to the USA to study and he is single handedly paying his tuition fees.  This guy is just a junior-level manager, but I doubt if Amadou Samba is richer than him,” said a source.

Agriculture

World Bank, IFAD, ADfB and IDB pump millions of dollars into this sector. Yet it is the most under-developed and under-performing sector. Why? The answer is in one word: corruption! Between 2014 and 2015, more than two dozen of top officials in Agriculture face one form of corruption suit or the other.

Health and Social Welfare

The Health department is not far behind agriculture in corruption. It has a lot of projects that are funded by major international organizations. According to a source, one of the department’s permanent secretaries recently absconded to the UK with a lot of money.

Police Force

The high level of corruption in The Gambia Police Force is no longer a secret; even children in Kindergarten know something about it. For the Police to do their job one has to pay bribe. Former inspector general, Ensa Badjie (Jesus), who was last year pardoned by President Jammeh, was in 2011 sentenced to life imprison for a myriad of wrongdoings, including robbery.

Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation (SSHFC)

The SSHFC is fast opening its arms towards corruption. A recent finding by What’s On-Gambia reveals some of the corporation’s senior officials make a lot of money from selling plots of land at the Tujereng, Brikama Jamisa and Jabang estates.

“I bribed them D50, 000 for a plot of land in Tujereng and I can’t still get my title deed,” revealed a source.

An in-depth report about the corruption at SSHFC coming soon!