Monrovia City Mayor John – Charuk S. Siafa, has underscored the severe shortage of manpower at the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) to maintain the cleanliness in the city, attributing it to limited budgetary allocation and a broken financial system he inherited upon taking office.
Speaking on State Radio on Monday, October 21, 2024, Mayor Siafa disclosed that when he assumed leadership of the MCC in February this year, 281 individuals responsible for cleaning the city were classified as consultants rather than formal employees, noting that this distinction, as dictated by government policy, led to the suspension of their services in December.
“All consultant services were suspended as required by government policy, meaning the 281 cleaners were not officially employed by the corporation. Despite this, we still needed their services to clean the streets,” he explained.
The Mayor further revealed the challenge of paying these individuals, given that MCC had only US$50,000 in its account when he took office.
“Paying 281 people who were not part of the budget was a significant challenge. We were caught between finding resources for these people and ensuring the city remained clean. There were delays in their payments, but with the central government’s help, we eventually paid them off,” he indicated.
He added that following the Civil Service Agency’s (CSA) payroll audit and headcount, MCC plans to reintegrate these workers onto its official payroll.
“In the interim, however, MCC lacks sufficient personnel for street cleaning. The few people currently working are all contractors,” he noted.
He also highlighted other challenges confronting the MCC, including a shortage of equipment. “We need more Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and sanitation materials. Of the trucks we have, only six are functional, and we inherited just one tricycle for the entire city. We’ve since managed to acquire 14 tricycles,” he said.
Despite these difficulties, the Mayor emphasized the efforts of the MCC under the administration of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to improve sanitation, adding: “Sanitation is a priority for this government. We’ve established a dedicated sanitation department with experts to ensure Monrovia stays clean and safe.”
Additionally, he noted that the MCC has completed renovations at all its transfer stations and carried out major repairs at the Wein Town landfill in Paynesville.
“With assistance from donor partners, over the past three months, we’ve constructed 1.9 kilometers of road to Cheeseman burg for the relocation of the Wein Town landfill. We’ve also built a 2.4-kilometer fence around the new site and constructed a mosque, town hall, and homes for those affected by the road construction,” he reported. LINA