Francis Gomez, acting Mayor of KMC, has disclosed that his council has at least spent D2.5 million on educational scholarships.

Mayor Gomez made this statement at a day orientation on the 2007/2011 Gambia government/Unicef Country Programme, on Thursday, at KMC offices.

He informed the gathering that his council facilitated legal registration of 435 community groups and associations, beside supporting the construction of 14 roads, in collaboration with its partners, including the World Bank and Gamworks.

Opening the orientation, Mayor Gomez said his municipality is grateful to the government of The Gambia and the Unicef for including it in the country’s programme of activities.

He described the country programme as a step in the right direction. He said the country’s biggest municipality has a population of at least 322,735, constituting a home for 2/5 of the national population. “Being the highly-populated municipality, KMC is therefore, the municipality with the highest needs as regards social services, such as water supplies and waste management. It is therefore, gratifying to note that The Gambia government / Unicef, have come mainly to work in partnership with the council for the provision of such services”, he said.

Mayor Gomez said the KMC has been struggling hard to provide social services for the past years. However, he pointed out that the rapid population growth, compounded by increased price of machinery and lubricants, outstripped the available resources of the council. Jeremi Sanyang, Education Specialist of Unicef, also spoke at the occasion.