MONROVIA – Presidential aspirant Matthew Nyanplu on Sunday, February 8, 2026, condemned in the strongest terms the appointment of former Defense Minister Brownie J. Samukai to a prominent government role, describing the decision as a betrayal of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s professed commitment to anti-corruption and a lean, efficient government.
Nyanplu noted that Samukai, who heads the newly established Yellow Machines Board of Authority (YMBOA), is a convicted corruption offender. “This appointment directly contradicts Mr. Boakai’s repeated assertions of zero tolerance for corruption,” Nyanplu said, stressing that Liberians should not be misled by public statements that are inconsistent with actions.
He recalled that Samukai was convicted by Criminal Court C on March 24, 2020, along with two deputies, for misappropriating over $1 million of compulsory pension contributions from members of the Armed Forces of Liberia. The conviction was later upheld by the Supreme Court in January 2022, which ordered that Samukai be incarcerated until full restitution was made.
“The Liberian people continue to be scammed by past and current governments,” Nyanplu stated. He criticized both former President George Weah’s pardon of Samukai and President Boakai’s subsequent appointment, describing the moves as a blatant reward for a corruption convict, rather than a demonstration of public integrity.
Nyanplu also condemned the creation of the YMBOA itself. According to him, establishing a separate body solely to manage imported yellow machines undermines the statutory authority of the Ministry of Public Works, expands government unnecessarily, diverts resources from citizens, and creates opportunities for cronyism.
Highlighting patterns of nepotism in Boakai’s administration, Nyanplu pointed to the appointment of Cornelia Kruah as Minister of Youth while her father, Cooper Kruah, serves as Minister of Labor. He likened these appointments to previous administrations, including Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s and George Weah’s, where family connections were used to place relatives in key government roles.
Nyanplu stressed that under his prospective leadership, Liberia would see a strict no-tolerance approach toward corruption convicts and nepotism. “No convicted official, and no immediate family members of government leaders, will hold public office under my administration,” he vowed, promising a return to integrity and accountability.
The Executive Mansion, in its press release on Sunday, February 8, 2026, announced the establishment of the YMBOA and the Special Presidential Project Coordinating Committee (SPPCC). Samukai was named Executive Chairperson of both the Board and Coordinating Committee, which are responsible for the oversight, deployment, maintenance, and strategic utilization of 285 yellow machines imported from China for nationwide road construction and infrastructure projects.
The YMBOA comprises key ministries including the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs, Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Information, and the General Services Agency. The SPPCC, under Samukai’s leadership, will coordinate closely with these statutory agencies, implementing a “Maintenance-First” approach to maximize the equipment’s life and value.
The first batch of machines, announced by Deputy Minister of Public Works Prince Tambah last month in China, is expected to arrive in Monrovia in late March 2026. While the Boakai administration frames the initiative as a transformational infrastructure project, Nyanplu warns Liberians that it also exemplifies the same “business-as-usual” governance practices of past administrations, underscoring a disconnect between rhetoric and action in public service.
