By Godgift Harris
The Ministry of Transport (MoT) has been plunged into controversy following the transfer of key operational responsibilities, including licensing and vehicle registration services to the Liberia Traffic Management (LTM).
the situation, which resulted in sustained protest also triggered public backlash, and mounting questions about transparency and revenue control.
Employees at the Ministry staged demonstrations this week. They protestors accused government of sidelining career civil servants, and effectively stripping the institution of its core mandate.
The protesters argue that the sudden shift of registration and licensing functions to LTM, has left many workers without clearly defined roles, creating widespread uncertainty about job security and institutional relevance.
The tension reached a boiling point when Transport Minister Sirleaf R. Tyler, reportedly instructed staff that all registration services would now be handled exclusively by LTM, and that no Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) personnel should conduct business in the ministry’s registration department.
Some employees, who became aggrieved said, Tyler announced that effective Monday, March 2, 2026, all licensing and registration documents would be processed by LTM, with applicants required to pick up their completed documents at LTM’s office in Paynesville, outside Monrovia.
Workers claim they were told to stay away from registration-related duties, and henceforth, turn over all relevant documents to the new entity.
“This ministry was established to manage transport operations, including licensing and registration. Now those functions have been handed to an external body to the point that we are being told to step aside,” one protesting employee said.
The decision has not only angered the ministry’s staff, but also sparked confusion among members of the public seeking services.
Several citizens reportedly booed both Tyler and Civil Service Agency Director General Josiah Joekai.
The incident was reported during separate appearances at the ministry. They expressed frustration over the abrupt changes and delays in processing their documents.
Joekai, however, sought to calm tensions, assuring employees that no jobs would be lost as a result of the transition.
He said, civil servants’ rights remain protected under government regulations, and urged disgruntled staff to channel their grievances through official mechanisms.
But that assurance did little to ease concerns on the ground.
Some employees and observers, have questioned whether the arrangement undermines established revenue-collection procedures traditionally managed by the LRA.
Under the existing law, the LRA is responsible to collect government revenues from public institutions, including licensing and registration fees.
Critics now argue that allowing LTM a separate entity to collect and manage such revenues raises accountability concerns and could blur institutional boundaries.
Meanwhile, employees allege that individuals who have resigned from the ministry were instructed to retrieve their documentation from LTM rather than the Ministry, a move they described as further evidence that operational authority has effectively been relocated.
LTM entity has yet to publicly address the growing backlash, or clarify the terms of its agreement with the government.
As protests continue, analysts warn that the dispute could deepen institutional distrust within the public sector and erode public confidence in transport governance if not handled transparently.
For now, the Ministry of Transport remains gripped by uncertainty its staff demanding clarity, its leadership defending reform, and the public caught in the middle of a bureaucratic power struggle that has exposed deeper questions about accountability, revenue management, and the direction of government reform.