Prof. Kah’s Lobbyists At Work

By An Insider

Many of us do not know that fake Professor Muhamadou Kah’s five-year contract as University of The Gambia (UTG) Vice Chancellor officially came to an end on 30^th April 2014. Like all looters, they never reach satisfaction and Kah is no exception. As expected, Kah has put in request to [President] Jammeh for extension or renewal of his contract term. At the time of writing his application is still pending at State House being supported by strong lobby from Amadou Samba, Muhammed Jah of Qcell, Vice President Isatou Njie saidy, and Abdoulie Baks Touray who was Chairman of the UTG Council that appointed Kah without screening his qualifications.

But perhaps a rather cynical development in the affairs of UTG is the covert manipulations behind the scene of Kah’s tenureship. In direct partnership with Jammeh, their joint strategy is to siphon the USD60 Million University Campus Development Fund.

Readers would like to note that in 2011, a Donor’s Conference was held in Banjul to raise funds for the construction of a new University Campus at Faraba Village, Western Region. The conference brought together the Kuwaiti Fund, the Saudi Fund, Africa Development Fund, the World Bank, etc and pledges to the tune of about USD60 million was made. The pledges have now materialised. During the recent Convocation Ceremony of UTG at the unusual venue of July 22 Square in Banjul in April this year, the Vice Chancellor in fact alluded that “funds for the university campus are in place”.

Without any doubt, UTG is the milking cow of Jammeh and Kah. In a dramatic move by Jammeh on Tuesday, 27th May 2014, he moved Dr Abubacarr Senghore as Minister of Higher Education and Research to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with immediate effect took the Ministry of Higher Education and Research under his purview, Office of the President. This must be seen as a calculated strategy for Jammeh to take total control of the university funds amidst the ailing Gambian economy. With Kah at his side as his aide, himself corrupt as he is, nothing is impossible in between these two. Kah already has built his extra modern College cum university at Bijilo for a person who arrived in The Gambia to be even borrowed a car to drive.

Hence Jammeh will certainly re-appoint fake Professor Kah, no matter his abysmal record at UTG. These past weeks have seen in some Online papers postings on Vice Chancellor Kah’s position at UTG. Kah’s ineptitude and disgraceful management style of exclusion; his rogue D3.5 Million salary per annum at the expense of Gambians; his USD10, 000.00 annual housing allowance; his unprofitable excessive international travels and unaccountable Per Diem claims; nepotism to the highest order such that UTG is regarded the University of “Mbooka”, etc etc,. All these are a glaring case for the removal of Kah but Jammeh will ignore all wrong doings because of their shared interest.

Going even further, indictment after indictment of Kah by probing State Institutions have all been deliberately ignored by Jammeh because of their partnership in looting UTG finances and shared deals at Zenith Bank and Bank PHB. Kah is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Zenith Bank Gambia Ltd and his wife also the Chairperson of the Board of Bank PHB. To every one’s amazement, kah’s defiance, bluff and arrogance is guarded by the protection he receives from Jammeh. First was the indictment of Kah by the NDEA Investigative Report of 2011 on UTG but nothing was done. Then in October 2012 the famous court judgment of Inspector General of Police Vs Gumbo Touray , a landmark judgment that vindicated Gumbo totally of all allegations against Vice Chancellor Kah . The court ruling further ordered that Kah should be investigated and his academic credentials verified. Again, Jammeh blatantly has ignored action on Kah. Hence, the obvious protection of Kah as Jammeh’s Golden Boy. In another development, the Country’s National Assembly at its twice sitting in 2013 and most recently in February 2014 made serious indictment of UTG for gross inefficiency, mismanagement, and gross abuse of public funds. Yet again nothing was done. This was followed by a comprehensive National Audit Report of the Government Auditor General with grave findings on UTG, calling UTG a failed institution. Again and again, President Jammeh will still harbour the fake Professor for obvious clandestine reasons.

Let all Gambians be on the watch out. Jammeh will re-appoint Kah at the detriment of UTG and the country but lest does he care about the national interest. Where standards have seriously fallen at UTG with the mass production of graduates, Kah’s ringing bell of making UTG a world class university is laughable. The irony is that kah is making UTG a last class university as UTG is at the bottom of Africa University ranking except, of course, University of Somalia much more comparing UTG’s ranking to World Universities.

Ends