The Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) of the National Assembly has recommended a police investigation into a procurement contract worth $1.3 million involving the purchase of 14 Toyota Prado vehicles under a donor-funded project.
The recommendation formed part of FPAC's report on the Auditor General's findings covering public institutions and agencies between 2021 and 2024, tabled before the National Assembly on Thursday, 18 June 2026.
Presenting the report, FPAC Chairperson Hon. Alhagie S. Darboe said the committee's concerns arose from the special audit of the Sub-Saharan Africa Women's Empowerment and Development Dividend Plus (SWEDD+) Project and the procurement process used to acquire the vehicles.
According to the committee, a contract valued at $1.3 million was awarded on 1 December 2023 to KMF Technologies Company Ltd for the procurement of 14 Toyota Prado vehicles.
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The committee said its review revealed what it described as multiple administrative and financial irregularities, including concerns over value for money, non-compliance with procurement regulations and possible conflicts of interest involving the supplier, Project Coordination Unit (PCU) staff and members of the contracts committee.
One of the key findings highlighted by FPAC was that KMF Technologies was not registered as a motor vehicle dealer and was not authorised to sell Toyota vehicles in The Gambia.
The committee noted that despite the presence of CFAO Gambia Ltd as the authorised distributor of Toyota vehicles in the country, the contract was awarded to KMF Technologies, a company primarily engaged in information technology services.
FPAC further found that KMF Technologies acquired 10 of the vehicles from CFAO Gambia Ltd through AYK Rentals rather than supplying the vehicles directly.
The committee said investigations also contradicted claims that the vehicles were imported through Mobility Ltd. Instead, it found that the vehicles were imported by CFAO Gambia Ltd under a duty waiver granted by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs.
The report also raised concerns about what it described as significant overpricing in the procurement process.
According to FPAC, the project paid an average of $92,857 for each vehicle, bringing the total contract value to $1.3 million. However, the committee found that CFAO Motors Gambia Ltd had offered the same vehicles at a market price of approximately $52,901 per unit, equivalent to about D3.2 million.
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Based on this comparison, the committee estimated that the procurement resulted in an overpayment of D37.394 million.
FPAC further concluded that the procurement process failed to comply with provisions of the Gambia Public Procurement Authority Act 2022 as well as World Bank procurement guidelines.
The committee cited the absence of transparent vendor selection criteria and the apparent bypassing of authorised dealership channels as key shortcomings in the procurement process.
As part of its recommendations, FPAC called on the Inspector General of Police to investigate the Project Coordinator, Procurement Specialist, KMF Technologies, AYK Rentals, CFAO Gambia Ltd and members of the contracts committee for any possible breaches of procurement regulations, the Public Finance Act and financial regulations.
The committee recommended that the investigation be conducted within 60 days of the tabling of the report.
FPAC also called for a separate investigation into the estimated overpayment of D37.394 million and urged authorities to pursue recovery of any funds found to have been improperly spent.
The committee further recommended investigations into any undeclared conflicts of interest that may have existed between officials of the Project Coordination Unit and KMF Technologies Ltd.
In addition, FPAC urged the project management to establish stronger compliance monitoring systems to prevent future breaches of procurement regulations and to develop clear and objective criteria for vendor selection in order to improve transparency, accountability and fairness in the award of public contracts.
The recommendations now await consideration by the National Assembly and action by the relevant authorities.
