Monrovia, Liberia – Payroll disparities within the House of Representatives have cost the Liberian government an estimated US$1.5 million a year, according to Josiah Joekai, head of the Civil Services Agency (CSA).
Josiah Joekai, the director general of CSA, accused the Legislature of violating the National Remuneration Standardization Act of 2019 in a letter delivered to the House on Tuesday, January 21. The Act’s goal was to create a single payroll system that would ensure compliance with the Liberia Revenue Code and reduce inefficiencies in the public sector. But anomalies in the House’s payroll system have made these goals less achievable.
Staff roles were duplicated on the central and supplemental payrolls, according to the CSA’s research. Part II, Section 2 of the 2019 Act, which requires payroll integration and standardization to improve efficiency and transparency, is violated by this practice. Chambell Bridgs from Central Administration and Augustine Nimely from the Communication Department are two of the people mentioned in the study; they both showed up on many payrolls.
According to this research, these disparities cost the Liberian government around US$1.5 million a year, Joekai said. According to the research, some employees were getting paid more than thrice for the same or comparable jobs, which made the financial burden worse.
Legislators are deeply concerned about the CSA’s conclusions. The agency has called on the Legislature to take immediate action to resolve the payroll irregularities and enforce the 2019 Act’s requirements. The CSA maintained that, under national development frameworks like the AAID and CDAS, adherence to the law is essential to maximizing the use of public resources and furthering the government’s efforts to combat poverty and inequality.
During the session, lawmakers engaged in intense arguments after the CSA’s letter was read. In response to demands from certain lawmakers for the identities of those involved to be made public, Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah stepped in to restore order. Others favored a more covert method of settling the dispute.
In order to resolve the disparities, the CSA has suggested a number of actions, including carrying out thorough payroll audits, getting rid of duplicate entries, and strictly adhering to the National Remuneration Standardization Act. According to the agency, these steps are essential for cutting waste, promoting economic growth, and strengthening domestic resource mobilization.
