Monrovia – The ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) is exerting pressure on ministries and agencies of government to absorb more of its partisans – whether qualified or not.
Report by Lennart Dodoo, [email protected]
The Chairman of the CDC, Mulbah Morlu has declined to comment to questions surrounding a photocopy of a list of 28 names, believed to be members of the party, that have been recommended for employment at the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC).
The list was purportedly signed by Chairman Morlu. (View)
The list comprises 17 recommended consultants, a monitoring manager, transportation manager, deputy transport manager, finance manager, cost accountant, administrative accountant, logistics manager, commercial manager, monitoring and evaluation, procurement analyst and finance manager.
It’s not clear how the struggling water and Sewer Corporation, the only autonomous agency of government that is unable to contribute to the national budget would pay the extra employees.
FrontPageAfrica has gathered that these extra hiring are being channeled through the newly appointed Deputy Managing Director of the LWSC, Moseray Momoh.
Momoh’s installation as Deputy Managing Director wasn’t free of criticism as he is on record for carrying out fraudulent acts at the very LWSC.
Momoh, FrontPageAfrica gathered, was at the verge of dismissal for acts of corruption and conflict of interest while serving as Procurement Officer/Manager on the Urban Water Supply Project, which was funded by the African Development Bank.
Media reports exposing his involvement at the LWSC were ignored by President Weah, despite his pledge to fight corruption and call for his officials to serve with integrity.
Investigation found Momoh liable of tampering with bid process and failing to disclose his relation with one of the companies/individuals participating in the bid.
However, regardless of his tainted character, mainly at the LWSC and a decision reached by the LWSC Board making him ineligible for rehire, Momoh took office on Tuesday, March 13, promising prioritize the plumbers during his stay at the entity.
“One group, specifically the plumbers, will be made a priority in this administration with a priority of their concerns, focus and satisfaction.”
“We will increase the number of plumbers; build up their certification and capacity to better serve all Liberians,” Momoh said.
Momoh said the George Weah pro-poor agenda would compel him consider the need for all Liberians to have safe drinking water and water sanitation.
The LWSC has been struggling of meeting its target of supplying Monrovia with safe drinking water, often relying on donor funding to carryout maintenance of burst pipes, repair of hydraulic pumps, and maintenance of the water treatment facility at White Plains.
The rehabilitated Water Treatment Plant was dedicated in January by former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
The project was funded by the African Development Bank at the cost of US$8.6 million.
LWSC is not the only agency of government being stuffed with members of the ruling party.
The new managing director at the National Transit Authority (NTA) has also hauled over 30 members of the CDC to the entity – overwhelming the payroll and at the same time giving some old employees the back kick to create space for the new ones – some of whom are said to have no knowledge of the responsibilities and tasks of their new positions.
FrontPageAfrica has obtained letters of employment of some of the recently hired employees of the NTA. Mr. C. Dennis Geddeh, who served as Chief Accountant, has been made Technical Finance Officer. T
his, FPA gathered, was done to create room for the hiring of a new Chief Accountant.
Andrew Sagely has been hired as the new Chief Accountant with a gross salary of US$1,500, according to his employment letter.
This amount is paid bi-weekly through the mode of payment adopted by the NTA.
Minikon Nagbe, who was originally the Operations Manager, has been reassigned as Technical Operations Advisor.
In this new position, he was stripped off his monthly allowance.
He is now required to report directly to the former deputy operations manager. In his place, Cyrus Toe is now the new Procurement Manager who also earns US$2,500 as gross monthly salary to be paid bi-weekly.
Mr. Samuel G. Hney served as Procurement Manager but has been asked to serve as Procurement Specialist.
While his gross salary remains the same, he has also been stripped off his allowances. Kelvin C. Johnson is now the new Procurement Manager with a monthly salary of US$1,500.
FrontPageAfrica gathered that the new employees would be paid from the seized allowances of old employees whose titles are being reduced.
Edmund Forh served as Risk and Compliance Manager until the coming in of the new managing director who has now reassigned Forh as Senior Risk and Compliance Manager without allowance.
The position is now occupied by one Roland K. Kamara, who is also taking home US$2,500 to be paid bi-weekly.
All the new employees would be elevated after a three-month probation period, according to their letters of employment.
The Acting Managing Director of the National Port Authority, the gateway to Liberia’s economy, has been strongly defending the hiring of three of President Weah’s brothers.
The Weahs were hired in February as consultants. Their salaries quadruple that of persons already serving in positions that have been duplicated.
In her defense for the nepotistic employment, Cecil Cuffy-Brown told Prime FM in Monrovia that hiring the brothers of the President is a plus for the NPA, as it would make access to the President easier for her.
She said Liberians should be glad that instead of the President appointing his sibling into government, he has rather asked them to go out and find their own jobs.
However, Cuffy-Brown last week turned down over 50 young men and women who stormed the premises of NPA demanding jobs.
They, according to reports, claimed they were sent by Chairman Morlu.
Many agencies and ministries of government have been under pressure to recruit a litany of names being forwarded to them by the governing party.
The Liberia Airport Authority, Liberia Maritime Authority and Civil Aviation Authority are some of the agencies under extreme pressure to absorb members of the party.