MONROVIA – The Boakai administration came to power with a clear promise to fix the very governance failures that undermined public trust during the Weah-led government. One of those failures was the unchecked hiring of over 700 supplementary staff at the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs, without any regard for civil service laws, recruitment policies, or transparency. Former President Weah himself admitted that the move was driven by desperation, claiming people “were suffering and needed to do something just to live.” But rather than correcting this unsustainable and unlawful practice, the Boakai administration appears to have fallen into the same trap, this time under the guise of reform.
A recent audit report from the General Auditing Commission (GAC), covering the period from July 1, 2018, through March 31, 2024, reveals that the current administration hired 74 supplementary staff within just two months and one week of taking office. These hires were made without competitive recruitment, without any coordination with the Civil Service Agency (CSA), and without budgeting for their salaries. In fact, the administration siphoned more than US$36,000 per month from a budget line marked “consultancy” to pay these unverified workers. Not a single one of the 74 hires was physically verified by the GAC, despite the ministry being given additional time to present them.
This scandal should alarm every Liberian. The GAC report is not just a technical document filled with bureaucratic language; it is a mirror held up to the face of the administration, reflecting behavior that is no different from what it once condemned. The Boakai administration cannot claim ignorance. It cannot claim to be unaware of the rules. The CSA Standing Orders of 2012 require that every recruitment go through a formal request process, with defined roles, salary structures, and qualifications. None of that was followed.
More troubling is the lack of documentation. These 74 new hires have no job descriptions, no identification numbers, no NIRs, and no departmental assignments. Their salaries were not aligned with the GoL’s harmonized pay grade. In short, there is no paper trail, no accountability, and no way to determine whether these people exist, are working, or are simply ghost names on a bloated payroll. The GAC was clear in its risk assessment that such practices could lead to misappropriation of public funds and a loss of control over personnel management.
What makes this situation even more egregious is the fact that the GAC went a step further. It formally communicated these findings to the Ministry of State through a Management Letter, gave the ministry ample time to respond, and even requested a post-verification exercise. Still, the ministry failed to make the staff available for verification. The GAC, left with no choice, has now urged the Legislature to intervene and enforce compliance within 90 days or halt all payments to these questionable hires.
Yet, months later, the Civil Service Agency has said nothing. There has been no word from the Ministry of State, no accountability, no resignations, and no plan of action. This silence is deafening. It suggests not just negligence but a willful disregard for the laws and policies that govern public service hiring.
The Ministry’s only response was to “acknowledge the recommendations,” a phrase that means absolutely nothing without action. How can any administration that claims to uphold transparency, integrity, and accountability take such a critical audit report and respond with vague acknowledgment? This is a slap in the face to the Liberian people, who have endured decades of mismanagement and deserve better.
The Auditor General’s tone in the transmittal letter to the Legislature was clear and urgent. The issues raised are not minor procedural gaps. They are structural weaknesses that, if left unchecked, could cripple the civil service and deepen public cynicism toward government reform. The current administration cannot afford to ignore this warning, not when it is barely a year into its term and already showing signs of repeating the mistakes of its predecessor.
This moment calls for decisive leadership. The president must immediately instruct the Ministry of State to produce the 74 staff for verification, release a public report explaining the hiring process, and ensure all future hires go through the CSA. The CSA, for its part, must reassert its regulatory role and demand that any agency bypassing its protocols face administrative penalties.
The Liberian Legislature must also rise to the occasion. It must conduct public hearings, summon officials responsible, and halt disbursements to unverified personnel. The House of Representatives and the Senate should not wait for another audit cycle to act. Every day that these salaries are paid without verification is another day of potential fraud.
Liberians have not forgotten the corruption, excesses, and incompetence of the past administration. That memory is fresh and painful. But what is more painful is the possibility that the new administration may be no different. The Boakai government has an opportunity to draw a clear line between itself and its predecessor. That line must begin with accountability.
If President Boakai truly seeks to restore public trust and lead with integrity, this is his test. Not in the next election cycle, not through political speeches, but now in how he responds to the findings of the GAC. The fight for good governance is not won by promises. It is won by action.
