The Alkalo of Jawo Kunda in Kantora District, Lamin Jawo, has appealed to President Adama Barrow to support farmers with tractors and clear overgrown rice fields, saying agriculture remains their only livelihood.
Speaking during the President’s Meet the People Tour on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, Alkalo Jawo said farmers compete for few available tractors during the rainy season, often waiting until owners finish their own farms.
“We do not have anything in this country except agriculture. Jawo Kunda has a rice field, and we want you to help us clear the grass there,” he said.
He also appealed for rehabilitation of the historic Kissi Kunda School, which now has only three classrooms.
“There is nobody in The Gambia who does not know the history of Kissi Kunda. The school has just three classrooms, and when it rains, the students miss lessons. The teachers do not have quarters. It used to be a big school, but now it has been forgotten,” he said.
He noted that people from Banjul, MacCarthy, Bansang and Jawo Kunda know the school’s legacy and urged the President to intervene.
On farming, he reiterated: “We are farmers, but we do not have tractors. During the rainy season, we all compete to use the available tractors.”
The Alkalo expressed confidence in Barrow’s commitment to development, praising road infrastructure in the Kombos.
“We all know that whatever Barrow says he will do, he does it,” he said, urging Gambians to support him.
On rural roads, he joked: “When I go to the Kombos to buy peanut butter and tomato paste, as we eat domoda a lot, the condition of the dusty roads can make you decide not to buy tomato paste because the road is already a paste.”
He concluded by urging voters in Kantora to support Barrow in the coming elections.