Officials of Koidu New Sembehun City Council appeared before Parliament in the ongoing sub-budget appropriation process to highlight their challenges.

The Council men appeared before the Sub- Committee 7 chaired by Honourable Abdul Latif Sesay on Monday, December 2nd, 2024.

The  Chief Administrator (C.A) Augustine Bayoh of the Koidu New Sembehun City Council in Kono District who assumed office on 1st September this year, has assured Members of Parliament (MPs) of salary  improvement for  staff working  at the Council.

It was found out by the Committee that some staff of the Council have been receiving salaries below the minimum wage.

However, the CA promised to address it on the 2025 Fiscal Year budget.

Honourable Sesay raised the issue of staff salaries below the minimum wages captured in the report and expenditures of the Council in fourth quarter of 2023 and quarter 1, 2 and 3 of the year under review.

Mr. Bayoh replied to the Chairman that as the new CA, he is trying to address the issue  with stakeholders at the council while acknowledging that it was not good to pay workers of the Council below the minimum wage. “I met an existing budget which I have been managing adequately, but I promised to be paying staff the minimum wage in 2025,” the C.A promised.

The Council’s Accountant clarified that the  discrepancies in payment of salaries at the council was as a result of the two sets of staff they’re having which including the permanent and casual staff of the council. “We have permanent staff who are paid by the minimum wage and also the casual staff who are paid below the minimum wage,” he clarified.

Mr. Bayoh informed the Committee that some little steps have already begun at the council to change the status quo and promised of massive improvement at the council’s structure of payments.”We have already begun dealing with those excesses and I promise to fix them next as I have captured it in the 2025 budget,” the CA lamented.

Hon. Ibrahim Aziz Bangura, Deputy Chairman of the Committee further admonished the C.A to handle all irregularities in the presentation of the Council’s reports in a way that will explicitly show expenditures with ease.

In his response the Accountant explained that most of the items listed are coded by the Finance Ministry and to change any item may lead to withholding of funds.

He further explained that the council has many accounts because of the various departments all of which have their separate functions in the administration of the council.

On the other hand, Honourable Latif Sesay warned the CA to help peg the donations done by the mayor’s office to different communities in a way that will reduce over spending. “This issue of giving out donations should be pegged annually,” Hon. Sesay advised.

He made this advice after the committee noticed that the Mayor is helping some communities within the district.