KAKATA, Margibi County — Kakata City Mayor Gbargawoe Eddie Seyboe says his administration has made major strides in maintaining a clean city — a feat that has eluded previous mayors despite numerous efforts.
To sustain the gains, Seyboe said the Kakata City Council has signed a partnership agreement with Green Hygiene Services, a local Liberian waste management company, to take charge of waste collection and disposal in the city.
The mayor said outsourcing waste management, particularly garbage collection, is expected to boost efficiency, noting that the city corporation lacks the equipment needed to handle the task. Green Hygiene Services is expected to bring in several tricycles and trucks to begin operations under a six-month probation period. The contract may be extended based on performance, Seyboe added.
“Green Hygiene Services has agreed to tackle the sanitation challenges of our city, especially cleaning waste from the streets, homes, and major facilities like hospitals and hotels,” he said.
For over a decade, successive city administrations have failed to manage Kakata’s waste effectively — drawing criticism, including from former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who once referred to Kakata as a “gateway to trash” after visiting the city, which serves as a corridor to other parts of the country.
In 2015, then-Mayor Eddie Murphy signed a memorandum of understanding with NC Sanitors and Services to manage waste collection in Kakata. However, the initiative achieved little, and sanitation issues persisted until the end of that administration’s term in 2017.
Another former mayor, Emmanuel Goll, blamed residents for worsening the situation by dumping household waste on the streets, which often left the city overwhelmed with garbage throughout his six-year tenure under the George Weah administration.
Mayor Seyboe also disclosed that he is in discussions with authorities in the United States to strengthen the Kakata–Brooklyn Park sister-city relationship, which he believes could bring benefits such as scholarships and student exchange programs.
He expressed disappointment that his predecessors did little to nurture the partnership with Brooklyn Park, Minnesota — a relationship he said could have brought both direct and indirect benefits to residents of Kakata.
“We’ve already had email exchanges, and we intend to set up a committee involving Margibians based in Minnesota to help strengthen ties with Brooklyn Park,” Seyboe noted.
The mayor also expressed optimism about development prospects under his administration, citing plans by the government of Liberia to pave major streets in Kakata. He said poor road conditions have hampered mobility in the city, especially during the rainy season, and improving road infrastructure will help place Kakata back in the national spotlight.
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