Published: March 9, 2026
Gbarnga, Bong County – The Chair on Rules, Order and Administration at the Liberian House of Representatives, James Kolleh, has disclosed that the House has approved a series of administrative reforms, including the creation of additional staff positions and salary adjustments for personnel working in lawmakers offices.
According to Representative Kolleh, the decision was taken under the leadership of Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon as part of efforts to strengthen the operational capacity of legislative offices and improve engagement with constituents.
During an appearance on Radio Gbarnga over the weekend, Kolleh revealed that the House has created three new staff positions across all representativesoffices. The positions include Gender Coordinator, Youth Coordinator, and Media Officer.
He explained that the introduction of the new roles is intended to ensure that lawmakers are better positioned to address issues affecting key segments of the population, particularly women, young people, and the media.
The House of Representatives under the speakership of Richard Koon has created three additional positions across all representativesoffices — Gender Coordinator, Youth Coordinator and Media Officer,Kolleh said. These positions will be placed on salary to ensure that the offices of lawmakers are adequately staffed to meet the demands of their work.
Representative Kolleh noted that the move represents a significant shift in how legislative offices are structured, emphasizing that the positions are meant to improve communication, coordination and policy engagement between lawmakers and their constituents.
In addition to the creation of the new positions, the Bong County lawmaker also disclosed that the House has cancelled the supplementary payroll system that previously existed within the legislature.
According to him, following the cancellation of the supplementary payroll, the House conducted an internal review to identify effective and proactive staff members working within legislative offices. He said the names of those staff members have been forwarded for processing to be placed on the payroll of the Civil Service Agency (CSA), which is responsible for managing government employment and salaries.
Kolleh explained that the move is aimed at improving transparency and ensuring that staff working within the legislature are properly recognized and compensated through the governments official payroll system.
“We cancelled the supplementary payroll and took down the names of effective and proactive staff members so that they can be processed and placed on the CSA payroll,”he stated.
The Rules Committee Chair further revealed that the House has also approved salary adjustments for several key staff positions, including Chiefs of Staff and Political Advisors serving in lawmakersoffices.
According to him, all chief of office staff received an increment of US$250, while other staff positions saw an increase of US$30.
Kolleh said the decision to increase the salaries was influenced by the heavy workload and responsibilities associated with those positions.
“These roles carry huge responsibilities and tasks, so it was important for the House to review and increase their salaries to reflect the level of work they do,”he explained.
He disclosed that the new salary adjustments took effect in January 2026 following approval by plenary of the House.
Representative Kolleh also noted that the reform package was not a unilateral decision but rather the result of a legislative proposal introduced by him along with six other lawmakers. Among those who supported the proposal was Robert Womba of Bong County District #4.
According to Kolleh, the proposal was presented before plenary of the Liberian House of Representatives, where it received the necessary endorsement from lawmakers, making it an official policy of the legislature.
He used the occasion to commend Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon for what he described as progressive leadership and a commitment to strengthening the institution.
Kolleh noted that such reforms had not been implemented under previous leaderships of the House, adding that the current leadership has demonstrated a willingness to improve administrative structures within the legislature.
“Before now, these kinds of decisions were not happening under other leaderships,”Kolleh said, while praising the current Speaker for supporting measures aimed at improving the welfare and performance of legislative staff.
Meanwhile, the House has also taken steps to address salary disparities across government institutions.
Representative Kolleh revealed that the Liberian House of Representatives has sent a formal communication to the Civil Service Agency requesting the harmonization of salaries for Executive Directors serving at the house of representatives.
He explained that the objective of the communication is to ensure that individuals occupying the same position receive equal salaries.
According to him, the move is intended to eliminate disparities and promote fairness within the public sector.
Kolleh described the decisions taken by the House as significant administrative reforms aimed at strengthening the work of lawmakers and improving the motivation of staff supporting legislative activities.
He emphasized that a well-structured and adequately compensated workforce is essential for the effective functioning of the legislature and the delivery of services to the Liberian people.
“These are huge steps,he said, noting that the reforms will help improve efficiency, accountability and performance within the legislative branch of government.”
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