Ousainou Darboe, 73, has made good on his promise by making a public declaration of his assets, few days after submitting his nomination files with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). This makes the United Democratic Party leader the first presidential hopeful in Gambia to have made such public declarations.

Gambians head to polls on December 4, in what is the small country’s most crowded presidential race since independence. Close to two dozen candidates are expected to be nominated.

According to Gambia’s electoral laws, candidates are required to declare their assets to the IEC. These asset declarations and other documents submitted by candidates will be available to the public to scrutinize various candidates on November 6, before the electoral authorities publish the final list of candidates qualified to run for presidency.

However, the IEC does not make copies of these submissions by candidates available to the media, nor do they allow them to be filmed or pictured.

“I am giving the media my asset declaration and I am challenging all candidates, particularly president Adama Barrow to also release his asset declaration to the media,” said Darboe.

Darboe is one of the three frontrunners for State House. The UDP leader goes up against a former treasurer of his party Adama Barrow— now President and leader of National People’s Party (NPP)— and Mama Kandeh, a former lawmaker under the administration of ex-president Yahya Jammeh, who is now leader of Gambia Democratic Congress.  

The 73-year old’s assets include a leased property on 57 Kairaba Avenue acquired in 1975 approximately worth D10,000,000. He also has undeveloped plots of land in Kembujeh, Serekundanding, Tanji Batosilokang, Tanji Salanding, Sanyang, Gunjur, Sukuta and Bansang (kongko santu). All the properties, except the Bansang property which was acquired in 2021, were acquired between 1989 to 2015.

Darboe also has a 2-living room property in Kotu approximately worth D600, 000.  No Property was Acquired Between 2015 to 2020, within the time he held office as Minister of Foreign Affairs—from 2017 to June 2018 and vice president—from 2018 to March 2019.

Vehicles

The UDP leader also acquired Toyota 4 runner in 2016 valued at D850, 000; Toyota Highlander acquired in 2018 valued at D700, 000; Toyota Prado acquired in 2020 valued at D1, 500, 000; Mercedes Benz acquired in 2017 valued at D350, 000; and ford F150 acquired in 2020 valued at D150, 000.

Bank Balances

Darboe’s bank balances are Trust Bank LTD account which has D774, 237. 23; Access Bank LTD account with balance D6, 555. 06; Guaranty Trust Bank account with balance D12,403,73; and Bank of America savings with balance US$11, 942. 56.

Government bonds, Treasury Bills and shares

The assets Darboe declared to IEC also include government bonds, Treasury bills and shares, with his Treasury bills at Trust Bank Limited standing at D19, 200.

The 73-year-old human rights lawyer and politician first ran for president in September 1996, following the military coup in 1994. As a candidate of his newly formed United Democratic Party, Darboe finished second with 35.84% of the votes while ex-president Yahya Jammeh of the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) party got 55.77% of the votes.

Since then, the popularity of the UDP or the coalitions it led at polls took a nosedive. In 2001, the party got 32.59% of the total votes, losing to Jammeh. In 2006, Darboe got 26% of the votes and 17% of the votes in 2011. However, in 2016, the UDP joined a coalition of 7 parties and 3 independent candidates, choosing the party’s treasurer and now president Adama Barrow as flagbearer. 

At this time, Darboe was serving a 3-year jail-term at Mile 2. He was arrested on April 16, for taking to the streets to protest for the release of Ebrima Solo Sandeng, a member of his party who was arrested on April 14, 2016 and allegedly tortured to death by members of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA). Seven top former NIA operatives are being prosecuted for Sandeng’s ‘murder’.