Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Wilson
Published on 2024-02-20 05:38:30
The Director General designate of the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC), Mohammed Ali( Mo Ali) has expressed his determination to commission a Human Resource audit and a holistic audit of the rapid increase of employees from 189 in 2017 to 669 in late 2023 without a proper vetting process.
Appearing before the Senate Committee on Public Corporations chaired by Margibi County Senator, James Emmanuel Nuquay on Monday, February 19, 2024, Mr. Ali said the general staff of the entity was at 189 with a payroll of US$155.521.66 in 2017. According to him, in December of 2023, the employees were raised to 669, thus increasing the payroll to US$384,160.18, which currently makes the entity dependent on the Ministry of Finance and Development-Planning.
“One of our problems at the LWSC is staffing. In December of 2017, the LWSC had 189 employees with a payroll of US$155,521.66 a month. By the time we got into December 2023, the employees’ number had grown to 669, increasing the payroll to US$384,160.18 making the entity dependent on the Ministry of Finance,” he added.
The LWSC Boss designate noted that the institution is supposed to be contributing to the national budget but unfortunately, it rests squarely on the Ministry of Finance to service its payroll; something he promised to change with the support of the Senate if confirmed.
He also indicated that on April 1, 2023, 154 persons were employed while between July and November 2023, 20 janitors and 85 security officers gained employment at the public institution, stressing that such employment was done in the absence of vetting to establish whether they met the requisite criteria continues to create a burden on the entity.
To properly ascertain how those citizens were recruited into the entity, Mr. Mo Ali stressed that he does not intend to dismiss any Liberian, but he wants the two different audits of the system for the effective running of the institution.
“At the same time, Ali said his administration will regularize water supply across the country but there is a major problem with accessibility with water in Central Monrovia, adding that most of the pipes are built on by residents thus making the task difficult.”
“We intend to work with the Ministry of Public Works to ensure that we recover our pipes and this can be done by firstly identifying where we have clots in our sewage system through our engineers with the provision of adequate equipment,” Mo Ali said.
In conclusion, Mr. Ali’s intention to commission a Human Resource audit and a holistic audit of the rapid increase of employees from 189 in 2017 to 669 in late 2023 without proper vetting is a clear indication of his commitment to improving the LWSC. The challenges faced by the institution in terms of staffing and payroll dependency are issues that need to be addressed, and the proposed audits will ensure transparency and efficiency in the management of the entity. Additionally, his plans to regularize water supply and outsource metering on a prepaid basis demonstrate a proactive approach to addressing the water accessibility and billing issues faced by the LWSC. With the support of the Senate, Mr. Ali is poised to bring positive change and improvement to the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation.
Read the original article on New Republic Liberia
