GLMA grandee explains reason for abbatoir standoff

Momodou Darboe, the Director of Gambia Livestock Marketing Agency (GLMA) has stated reasons why twenty one staff of Central Abattoir in Abuko contracts will not be renewed, including Manager of the Abattoir, securities personnel, revenue collectors, financial officers and electrician among others.

He made these remarks yesterday at a press conference held at the central abbatoir office.

Darboe said only the contract appointment’s of the cleaners and the drivers will be renewed.

This raise concerns from the employees of the Abattoir. The Central Abattoir staff contracts expired on 31st December 2024 but they were given two month notice unit 28 February 2025.

Darboe said they are not renewing the contracts of the twenty staff, adding that some of the position remains irrelevant and the management is not properly handling the abattoir as indicated in their report.

The central Abattoir was placed under Gambia Livestock Marketing Agency in 2015 as a supervisory institution.

He said that the management of Central Abattoir have not being collecting rents from shop tenants in the abattoir.

He further said that the management was not properly collecting slaughters fees in the abattoir. He added that the management has not being following procurement rules in their procurement.

“They don’t have procurement officer,” he said. He further stated that the Abattoir financial officials does not even know the procurement rules.

He added that the abattoir is overstaffed and some of the positions are irrelevant to the work of the abattoir.

The Manager of the Abattoir, Maddy Kuyateh denied the above-mentioned reasons. He said it is his management that transform the abattoir.

He claimed they found the abattoir dysfunctional and they make it functional. He argued that the Gambia Marketing Agency has no right to layoff the staff.

Saidou Manga, the electrician of the abattoir said the reports on illegally connections are false. He said he has been working on all the electricity in the abattoir and there is no illegal connection found.