Published: August 28, 2024
Kakata, Margibi — With the resumption of the 2024/2025 academic year just days away, Innovation Incorporated, a local Liberian contractor, has defaulted on the terms and conditions of a five-classroom annex construction project for the W.K. Moore School in 26 Community, despite having received full payment over a year ago.
In May 2023, the Margibi County Administration broke ground for the construction of five classrooms and two office buildings at a cost of USD $56,000, with a completion timeline of four months.
The project, funded by the Margibi County Social Development Fund, was intended to expand the W.K. Public Elementary School into a junior high school to address serious capacity challenges due to the school’s growing population.
As per the contract terms, Innovation Inc., a Liberian contractor firm, was hired to complete the construction work within four months. However, the company has defaulted, leaving the project incomplete despite receiving full payment. A physical assessment of the building reveals that it lacks a ceiling, floor, windows, and doors, with the project being only about 50% complete.
Community members and other stakeholders had initially welcomed the school project, as it was expected to alleviate the burden of sending their children more than 10 kilometers from the 26 Gate community to Kakata in pursuit of junior secondary education.
When contacted, the manager of the company, Arthur Teamah, claimed he had received payment up to 95% for the school project but noted that the project was redesigned due to community demands, causing delays for more than a year. He stated that the redesign incurred additional costs of up to USD $17,000, leading to significant setbacks for the project.
However, our investigation reveals that despite Teamah’s claim of a redesign, it did not have the consent of the Margibi County administration, which awarded him the contract. There was no amendment to the contract to reflect the new blueprint.
Teamah claimed he informed the county administration about the redesign in writing but declined to provide a copy of the communication, citing confidentiality.
When contacted, Margibi’s third electoral district Representative, Ellen Attoh-Wreh, told The Liberian Investigator that she has little to no knowledge about the project, even though it is being implemented in her constituency. The lawmaker noted that the project was initiated through the County Council, which limits the influence of lawmakers under the new Local Government Act.
Recently, Margibi Legislative Caucus Chair Ivar Jones called for an audit of the past county administration, citing several unfinished projects across the county, which, according to him, undermine the purpose of the County Social Development Fund.
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