Mohamed Gento Kamara
The recently released 2022 Audit Report by the Audit Service Sierra Leone (ASSL) has raised allegations against the Gento Group of Companies, led by Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Gento Kamara. The report suggests that the company, in charge of the Waterloo Township Contract signed with the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) on behalf of the Government of Sierra Leone, received double payment for work completed. According to the audit findings, the contract, valued at $42,782,727, saw a payment of $39,676,314 made to the contractor, leaving a balance of $3,106,413. The crux of the allegation revolves around the claim that the Gento Group also received a payment of $5,439,499.26 from the Road Maintenance Fund Administration (RMFA) in 2018, under an Interim Payment Certificate (IPC 1A).
This payment, however, was purportedly made for delayed payment of IPC 1, a matter that had already been settled in 2016, raising concerns of double payment in 2018.
During the same period, IPCs 5 totalling $13,524,419.34 were flagged as claims for loss and damages attributed to the project’s suspension. The audit report pointed out the absence of supporting documents indicating any instruction from the Engineer to suspend ongoing work, raising questions about the project’s compliance with Clause 40.1 of the Contract Agreement.
In response to the allegations, Mohamed Gento Kamara, CEO of Gento Group of Companies, categorically dismissed them as erroneous and misleading. He clarified that they submitted Interim Payment Certificates (IPC No.1A to IPC No.8) totalling $27,248,918.07, including a delay payment interest of $1,869,789.87 as per the contract agreement.
Gento emphasized that IPC No.5, amounting to $13,524,419.34, was a claim for the suspension of works, per the contract agreement’s Clause 40.1. He argued that these amounts should not be deducted from the contract sum, but added to it, citing contractual claims under Clauses 40.2b, 60.10, and 70.1.
Furthermore, Gento highlighted that Clause 70.1, related to an increase in materials and labour (Price Adjustment), had never been invoked since the contract’s inception. He clarified that they invoked it about delayed payment interest only, considering the country’s high inflation rate and rising material costs.
Gento refuted claims of double payment for work done between 2016 and 2018, citing the government’s termination of ongoing contracts in 2018 for a forensic audit. He revealed that they resumed work in 2021 on eight roads, after demanding payment for previously completed work, known as Certificate No 1.
Regarding the project’s suspension, Gento stated that the Ministry of Finance in 2018, in a meeting attended by journalists, SLRA, and the Ministry of Works, verbally communicated the suspension due to a forensic audit recommended by the Government Transition Team Report.
Expressing dismay, Gento noted that his company was not contacted or allowed to comment before the audit report’s compilation. He questioned the procedures and conclusions reached, asserting that his company had never received double payment during the Waterloo Township Roads Project implementation period.
