Bong County – Citizens and some lawmakers are wondering how such expensive machines broke down so soon when only roads in five of the 13 roads targeted for the projects were fixed.
Report by Selma Lomax, [email protected]
Contractor Yobouty charged Bong County more than what other companies approved, according to estimates of the cost of the three machines from two local companies that sell earth-moving equipment obtained by FrontPageAfrica. Supporting document
Feeder road projects in Bong County are stalled because the two machines purchased by the county’s leadership and the legislative caucus to rehabilitate road in the county’s 13 districts are broken down, and the contractor is holding up the dump truck because he claims the county owes him US$28,000.
In 2011, citizens endorsed a resolution mandating county leaders to spend US$662,300.000 from the county development fund to buy one motor grader, one front-end loader and a dump truck.
Documents show that the county paid the full cost of the machines, but so far, only 11 roads have been fixed in five of the 13 districts. As a result, many roads are impassable for farmers this rainy season.
Commissioner Dakeh Paye of Panta District said over 10 towns in the district are cut off from the rest of the district because of bad roads.
She had hoped that the machines would have reduced the constraints on citizens during the rainy season.
“Right now, some trucks can’t access some of the towns in our district because of bad road,’’ she said.
“Roads were rehabilitated in Jorquelleh, Panta, Salala, Yellequelleh and Kpaii districts.
“The motor grader got damaged in January this year while en route to fix roads in Kpaii District,” said Bong County superintendent Selena Polson-Mappy.
Documents provided by the county represented by Lucia Herbert, former Bong County superintendent and George Mulbah, chair of the Bong County Caucus, show that the county paid for the equipment through a lone contractor, Modern Development Management Corporation (MDMC Express Incorporated), headed by John Youboty.
On September 7, 2012, the county paid Youboty US$400,000 as a first installment for the front-end loader and motor grader, according to Rep. Mulbah.
The second installment totaling US$225, 300.00 was paid on May 27, 2013. The county also paid an additional US$9,000 on May 29, 2014.
Invoices show that the county paid $247,800.00 for a Cat 938H front-end loader; US$264, 500.00 for a Cat 12H Motor grader; and $150,000.00 for a dump truck.
The invoices show that the county paid Youboty US$662,300, the amount citizens budgeted from the county development for the machines.
Citizens and some lawmakers are wondering how such expensive machines broke down so soon when only roads in five of the 13 roads targeted for the projects were fixed.
Senator Jewel Howard Taylor said the machines were second hand, not brand new.
She accused her peers in the caucus of ignoring the Public Procurement Concessions Commission (PPCC) process because they settled on one contractor instead of putting the project out for bid as required by law.
“If Rep. Mulbah and the former superintendent were sincere with the people of the county, they would have announced a bid, which would have seen three to four vendors but I am told that didn’t happen,’’ she said.
Youboty is not the only person in the country who deals with earth-moving machines, Taylor said.
She accused her colleagues of conniving with Youboty to rob the county of tax payers’ money.
FrontPage Africa obtained estimates of the cost of the three machines from two local companies that sell earth-moving equipment for government contracts approved by the PPCC process. Yobouty charged Bong County more than what other companies approved the government charge.
Liberia Equipment located in Bushord Island and Howo Shantui in Sinkor charge $168,890.00 for a motor grader and $179,000.00 front an end loader.
The two companies have charged between $135,000.00 -$138,000.00 for a dump truck.
“My initial stance on the machines still remains,’’ Taylor said.
‘’The machines were not brand new and that’s why they have broken down. I think the people of Bong County can now see what I was talking about.’’
District Six lawmaker Adam Bill Corneh agreed with Senator Taylor.
He said county leaders owe citizens apology for failing to provide adequate equipment to pave their roads, especially during the rainy seasons.
“The leadership of the county and the caucus should take the blame for the machine not being available. If the machine was brand new it would not have been experiencing the problem it is experiencing now,” he said.
Rep. Edward Karfiah said he can’t say whether the machines are brand new or not.
“The machines went to my district and rehabilitated feeder roads there and I was impressed with it,’’ he said. “And after two weeks it broke down. Whether it was a brand new machines or not I can’t tell.’’
Lawrence Plator, a member of the county’s Project Management Committee, agrees with Taylor that the county violated PPCC’s rules.
The county, he said, promised Youboty that he would get the contract before citizens endorsed the purchase of the machines.
Youboty’s strong relationship with Herbert, the former superintendent, ruled out bids from other vendors, Plator said.
James Dorbor Jallah, chief executive officer of the PPCC, said the county breached PPCC’s law. PPCC’s rules require that all projects over $500,000.00 must go through the bidding process with three or four vendors, not one contractor.
“It shows that the county leadership had something under their sleeves that is why they contacted only one vendor,’’ Jallah said.
PPCC only accepts one vendor in the case of emergency such as bids for purchases that affect national security.
“We can’t put up a bid for national interest like security,’’ he said.
“We can’t go public to state how much the country needs to buy ammunition.”
“We can’t put up a bid for vendors to renovate the president’s house. “
“But in the case of Bong, it was a different case. No national interest was attached to this process.”
The front-end loader and motor grader were intended to reopen streets in the county and rehabilitate farm- to- market road to help farmers transport their locally produced commodities to Gbarnga and other areas, Mulbah said.
When the funds were approved, citizens were thrilled because they saw an opportunity to improve access to hard-to-reach areas in the county, especially during the rainy season.
But some citizens are disappointed.
Some of the roads rehabilitated include Collins Street, Kokoyah Road, and Rubber Factory community, Gboveh Avenue, the Gbelekpala Road and the Millionaire Quarter Street in Jorquelleh district.
The machines also rehabilitated few roads in other districts including the Bellemu-Nyantala roads in Panta, the former Tesely Mission Road in Salala District and the Palala-Zoweinta Road in Kpaii.
Other areas include the Gbartala-Golata road in Yellequelleh.
Commissioner Arthur Kpolleh of Zota District said farmers are feeling the pinch because of the bad roads.
It takes at least three to four days to transport produce to Gbarnga, he said.
“The rainy season has just made things worse for us as people of Zota district,’’ Kpolleh said.
“Our roads were already bad before the rainy the season.”
Aaron Juakollie, program officer of the Foundation for International Dignity (FIND), said he would launch a campaign against caucus members.
“We will use the situation to sensitize our citizens about how insensitive our leaders are to us with respect to our assets,’’ he said.
“We have to preserve our assets and make sure money intended for the purpose are spent the best way possible if we are to move forward as a county.”
Commissioner Allen Tugba of Kpaii District said some of the roads in the district are deplorable.
He wants the county to fix them before it worsens.
Residents in the Far East community were fortunate that their roads were fixed. Resident Younger Lahai said motorcyclists charged higher fares because of the bad roads.
“I just want to laud the county leadership and our lawmakers for their efforts in purchasing the road building equipment,’’ she said. “As for us in our community, we are relieved.’’
The agreement with MDMC only covered the machines, not repair costs, Mulbah said.
In addition to the machines, the county spent US$15,000 to train two residents to operate the machines. The county, Mulbah said, does not have money to repair the machines. The county needs US$15,000 to fix the machines.
Mulbah said the county will sue Yobouty for breach of contract, saying that he’s been paid more than 90 percent for the project, but is refusing to release the dump truck.
Yobouty said he welcomes the court action.