Gambia: Could a Person Be Head of the Civil Service and Secretary to Cabinet At the Same Time?

5 December 2024
FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)

Section 168 subsection (1) of the Constitution states:

"The President, acting in accordance with the advice of the Public Service Commission, shall appoint a person holding an office in the public service on permanent terms to be the Head of the Civil Service. The Head of the Civil Service shall be the competent authority for the Civil Service."

The position is created by the Constitution and must be established and the holder remunerated which should be provided in the Estimates.

However subsection (2) of the same section states:

"The Head of the Civil Service shall not hold any other office of profit or emolument in the service of The Gambia."

This also affirms that the Head of the Civil Service should not hold any other office of emolument. Our review of the Estimates 2025 reveals that the positions of Secretary to the Cabinet and Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet are all positions of emoluments.

It is therefore strange that a position of Head of Civil Service and Secretary to Cabinet is mentioned in Gazette No. 58, dated 15th November, 2024. The Attorney General should guide the Cabinet to avoid such ambiguities and absurdities in administration.

Read the original article on Foroyaa.

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