Koung Questions the Purchase of 5 LWSC Trucks

The Vice President of the Republic of Liberia, Jeremiah Kpan-Koung has questioned the then CDC-led government’s unrealistic amount in the procurement process of securing five new water and sewage trucks for the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC). 

VP Koung, on Thursday at the dedication ceremony of the LWSC’s five water trucks, said the prices of the previous administration to procure the five water trucks were unrealistic.

“If these trucks were Mercedes trucks from Europe and somebody tells me US$160,000, then I could agree; but not a Chinese truck which costs around US$60,000 then someone is saying that they spent US$218,750 — which I'm not doubting the amount but this can only happen in government,” VP Koung said. 

According to him, “Coming from a business background and being someone who has been involved with purchasing these trucks and seeing the prices of US$218,750 then I say yes this is the government because this cannot happen in any private business area. I’ve purchased some of these trucks before as a businessman [and they came] fully equipped for US$75,000 and delivered to my house. Again, maybe the one for water is different, but this is unrealistic.” 

VP Koung further said he’s one of those who believes that the LWSC and the LEC in Liberia will never reach the common people unless the distribution function is given to private businesses.

He believes that privatizing the distribution component of LWSC and LEC will bridge the daunting challenges currently faced by the two entities.

He opined that unless this is done, the provision of Safe drinking water and affordable electricity as envisaged by the government will never reach the ordinary Liberians.

In his proposal which he noted is being reviewed by lawyers, the LWSC and LEC should only be limited to the generation and transmission of water and power respectively.

He furthered that the distribution aspects of these entities should be given to private-owned companies to manage.

According to VP Koung, the privatization of such components of state-owned enterprises would address the challenge of huge indebtedness to these SOEs by some members of the public.

He cited the Private-owned Jungle Energy Power Incorporated in Nimba which manages the distribution of electricity in that county as a clear success story of his proposal to privatize certain aspects of State-owned entities including LEC and LWSC.

Meanwhile, Vice President Koung has recommended the construction of a solar power plant at the facility of the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation to alleviate the electricity challenge currently being faced by the Corporation.

His recommendation comes in the wake of a negotiation between LEC and LWSC for the supply of constant electricity to enable LWSC to adequately pump water constantly through its system to the public.

The Managing Director of the LWSC Mo Ali, for his part, lauded the CDC-led government for signing the contracts of the trucks on May 5, 2022, to secure five trucks for the LWSC with each costing US$218,750 for two sewer trucks and three water trucks with each costing US$151,200 which was delivered in October of 2023. 

Ali in his overview at the commissioning ceremony said the process of acquiring the trucks was through a satisfied procurement process under the previous LWSC administration. 

Mr. Ali described the provision of the trucks as timely adding that this would alleviate the mounting challenges faced by LWSC in the provision of safe drinking water and addressing the poor sewage system in the country.

The LWSC Boss used the occasion to call on those who are doing business with the LWSC to pay their bills regularly which is one of the means the entity uses to pay their employees and do other things.

“We have accepted the blame for the inactiveness of water but there are people who are using the water but don’t want to pay for the water when there are water issues, everybody calls LWSC but when it comes to paying bills a whole lot of those who are using the water don’t want to pay, but we have come with a new measure to cut off those who are using the water illegally to pay,” LWSC Managing Director Mo Ali added.