Water cuts and seizure of 6 billion in Kaolack: Mayor Serigne Mboup's outburst against the State

This is a furious outburst against institutional indifference and the priorities of the State. Reacting to the financial standoff with the water distribution company, the mayor of Kaolack, Serigne Mboup, expressed his profound indignation at the treatment of the situation of the schools in his municipality, which have been without water for several months, compared to the swift action taken when the interests of the private operator are threatened.

“Why do our schools lacking water elicit less reaction than Sen’Eau’s accounts?” the mayor asked. According to Serigne Mboup, his repeated warnings for nearly a year regarding the water cuts affecting municipal services and then schools have gone unanswered by the relevant authorities.

“When children are deprived of water at school, our calls go unanswered. But when the municipality initiates the recovery of the six billion CFA francs it is claiming from Sen'Eau, by means of a third-party notice on its accounts, the phones start ringing and interventions multiply,” lamented the mayor of Kaolack, questioning the absence of such mobilization at a time when the health of the students was at stake.

Denouncing the arguments of those urging him to consider the repercussions of this financial seizure, the mayor sharply rebuked his interlocutors: “We are asked to measure the consequences of our actions. But who measures the impact of these cuts on hygiene in schools, on students, and on teachers' working conditions?” For Serigne Mboup, the authorities' eagerness to protect economic interests at the expense of the population reveals an unacceptable imbalance.

Strongly recalling that the municipality is also a public institution whose financial resources directly serve the general interest, the mayor stressed that the sums claimed by the municipality deserve as much consideration as the budgetary concerns of the distribution operator.

Setting his conditions, Serigne Mboup demands the immediate restoration of the water supply to all affected schools before any discussions can begin regarding the dispute over reciprocal debts. He further specifies that any challenge to the recovery procedures must be pursued through the proper legal channels before the competent courts. "I remain open to dialogue. But I regret that it took tapping into Sen'Eau's accounts to provoke this mobilization. I would have preferred that the children's plight alone would have been enough to prompt a response from the authorities," the mayor concluded.