Kumba City Council to run on 6.5 billion FCFA budget in 2024.

The session was attended by the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, of Meme Division Chamberlin Ntou'ou Ndong.

The budget, according to the Mayor, was drawn in strict compliance with the 2024 budgetary prescriptions from the joint circular letter from the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Decentralisation and Local Development.

The circular letters, he disclosed, set the guidelines for budgetary policy at the local level as well as the practical arrangements for the preparation of the budgets of Regional Authorities for the 2024 fiscal year.

Also in attendance was the South West Regional Chief of the Special Council Support Fund for Mutual Assistance, FEICOM, Tanyi Mbianyor.

While making the projections for the 2024 financial year, which does not cover the four programmes of the Programme Budget and the proposals advanced by various Quarter Heads as well as other stakeholders during the Budget Orientation Debate, the Kumba City Mayor, said the major projects to be carried out in 2024 include: grading of the various streets within the three subdivisions; construction of ultra-modern council chambers; construction of Mambanda Motor Park; construction of social housing for council personnel; transformation of Mambungise and Endeley streets with paved bricks.

He also mentioned the maintenance and extension of water and electricity to some quarters; construction of meat stalls and cold store in Fiango Market, and pre-collection of household municipal solid waste, clearing and dredging of water ways as well as gutters.

The Kumba City Mayor stated that while they keep on intensifying their efforts to transform the markets from semi-permanent to permanent structures, they remain confident that the new contract signed between the Kumba City Council and the hygiene and sanitation company, HYSACAM, would give the municipality a facelift. 

He announced that they are not also sparing their energies to follow up with the powers that be to ensure the full takeoff of the World Bank project in 2024.

Cleanest Quarter competition results released

Mewanu then proceeded to present the results of the second edition of the Operation Keep Your Quarter Clean competition that involved 25 quarters in the municipality.

Njuki I won the first prize and received two cows, five wheelbarrows, three spades and 25 crates of drinks. 

Palm City emerged second and was awarded a cow, wheelbarrows, spades, rakes and 15 crates of drinks and CCAS Mbom was third with the accompanying prizes.

Ekemba I in Kumba II Subdivision received a special prize for hard-work. The quarter was given a goat, three wheelbarrows, spades among other things.

Meanwhile, speaking shortly after the session, Meme SDO said the Governor of the South West Region, Bernard Okalia Bilai, is not satisfied with the Kumba City Council because its contracts are not executed.

He called for a follow-up and said contractors who do not execute their contracts should not be seen around the Kumba City Council premises.

He enjoined the Kumba City Mayor to award all contracts to good contractors before March 2024.

While congratulating the Kumba City Council, Meme SDO called for greater commitment and said all should be done before November 2024 for all projects to be fully executed.

After the presentations of the various committee reports and the adoption of some municipal deliberations, members of the Kumba City Council board unanimously adopted the budget.