By Tabora Bojang
National Assembly Member Assan Touray of Bakau is demanding answers from national water and electricity company, Nawec, for an invoice of D1,262,393.90, for water installation in his house at New Yundum.
According to Hon Touray, he applied for water connection in 2023 and Nawec initially sent him an invoice of D17,000 which he paid on 17 November 2023.
But he said Nawec did not come to install water service even after two years of following up with them.
“To my surprise, I received a telephone call from Nawec just last Friday July 24, asking me to visit their office to collect a certain document. Upon arrival, I was issued a new invoice containing material and cost details amounting to D1,262,393.90. The invoice quoted materials cost at D1,173,643.90 and services fee at D88,750.00,”a bemused lawmaker Touray told The Standard.
He said Nawec again stated on the invoice that they will endeavour to install the service within 16 weeks of payment adding that the invoice is valid for only 30 days after which a fee of D200 is charged for reinvoicing.
Hon Touray expresses his dismay that Nawec would charge such an “exorbitant fee” for water installation. “I just simply cannot imagine such a colossal illogical sum being charged for water connection which I paid for almost three years ago,” Touray told The Standard.
“This is very strange and discouraging. How can you apply for water and wait for almost three years only to be told to pay D1.2 million for the same service?” he said.
According to Touray, he made several efforts to get this anomaly corrected but to no avail.
Contacted for clarifications, Nawec PR manager Buba Badjie promised to do findings and provide a response but did not do so until press time yesterday.