WASHINGTON, D.C. – A leaked audio recording has exposed troubling details surrounding the death of Liberian diplomat Vafumba Musah Kromah, who reportedly passed away in his home after years of struggling without medical insurance. The revelation has sparked outrage among embassy staff and family members, who say his death could have been prevented if the Liberian government had fulfilled its financial obligations.
Kromah, who served as Consular for Finance at the Liberian Embassy in Washington, D.C., had reportedly raised concerns for two years about the embassy’s failure to provide medical coverage. His deteriorating health, coupled with the government’s failure to pay outstanding debts to Kaiser Permanente International, allegedly left him without critical medical care in his final days.
Activist Martin K. N. Kollie, weighing in on the controversy, disclosed that Liberia’s foreign service employees across the world are enduring severe hardships, including lack of medical insurance, salary delays, inadequate housing, and transportation challenges. He argued that Kromah’s death reflects a broader crisis facing Liberia’s diplomatic corps, as officials continue to suffer from neglect while serving the nation abroad.
According to financial records cited by Kollie, the Liberian Embassy in Washington operated on a budget of $637,035 for the 2024 fiscal year, with $484,578—roughly 76 percent—allocated to salaries alone. Despite these expenditures, the government failed to settle its medical insurance debt of $180,000, having only paid $75,000 as of January 2025. Kollie condemned the government’s financial priorities, particularly highlighting Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti’s reported spending of $811,880 on foreign travel in 2024. He criticized her for signing non-binding agreements while embassy staff struggle to access basic health care.
Kollie insisted that Kromah’s death was a direct result of negligence and misplaced priorities, asserting that the suffering of Liberians abroad is entirely avoidable. He called on President Joseph Boakai’s administration to address the dire conditions facing foreign service employees, emphasizing that diplomats deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
