Documentary evidence has proven beyond all reasonable doubts that Mohamed Gento Kamara, the Chief Executive Officer of Gento Group of Companies, is not indebted to Government to the tune of USD5 Million as it is being peddled by certain mischievous rumor mongers and saboteurs.
It should not come as any big surprise that in this country certain people become very jealous of individuals who are progressive and will go at extreme lengths to pull them down for no just reason (s) other than mere envy.
Reference could be made to individuals like Sam King who was running a successful stationery business entity, an importer and retailer of basic goods Med T, Paul Francis (Elder brother of the Chief Minister) who was on the verge of facilitating the establishment of a commercial bank in this country but prevented from doing so and a host of others were all undermined and destroyed.
This trend of sabotaging successful entrepreneurs has been seriously derailing development. What has been really established as an indisputable fact is that moves made by certain ill motivated individuals to pull down progressive individuals and entrepreneurs have been and is definitely bringing the country down and not directly the individuals targeted. The simple fact that these individuals are helping in the areas of providing jobs for many Sierra Leones, paying taxes to Government means that they are contributing positively towards economic development and poverty reduction,. What if they decide to fold up their businesses then it possible that it will result to many becoming jobless thereby accentuating massive hardship and poverty.
The astute Chief Executive Officer of the reputable road construction company he owns and manages, Mohamed Gento Kamara, has not been spared this loathsome venom as of late he has been the victim of a barrage of baseless castigations on social media accusing him of wrongfully withholding five million dollars believed to be public fund that was purportedly handed over to him for construction work.
This accusation could not be totally unconnected to the invitation of this successful entrepreneur by one of the Commissions of Inquiry to give evidence. His appearance was not in the capacity as a person of interest, but just a mere testifier to help the Commission know the facts, which he did without hesitation, even providing documentary evidence to the effect. His detractors have blown it out of proportion to such an extent that they have been maligning him by erroneously painting the picture that he squandered five million dollars said to have been handed over to him by the Road Maintenance Fund Administration (RMFA).
The crux of the matter is that there was a Memorandum of Understanding wherein, SLRA which is the parent body of RMFA agreed to fund road contractors on behalf of the Government of Sierra Leone.
SLRA through RMFA was to pay Gento 30 percent advance for the Waterloo township roads project. The amount should have been Le12.8 billion. Gento received Le7.8 billion.
The balance account remained with RMFA which had the onus of reconciling its books with the Ministry of Finance. RMFA was insisting that the Ministry of Finance should hand over the balance to them, but they were refused on the grounds that it was Government money and they were not entitled to it. What Gento was paid as advance is clearly recorded at the Accountant General department and with his bank. He was to receive USD12.8 million. He received less than of USD5 million, the money paid not in dollars but in Leones.
What some are failing to realize is that strict adherence and proper use made of the Local Content Policy could be the engine for overall national development. Mohamed Gento Kamara is a very good example of an ambitious indigenous businessman who has been doing extremely well in terms of constructing and rehabilitating qualitative roads in different parts of the country. He has helped in the direction of job creation that has improved standards of living of many families as well as timely payment of taxes.
It will therefore be understandable that his successes may not go down well with certain people who will not spare any opportunity to defame and smear his good image, but there is a popular belief that he who God has blessed cannot be easily destroyed.
Gento is really unperturbed and cannot be shattered by detractors, who have been politically castigating him.
