Published: November 28, 2025
MONROVIA — The Liberian Senate has launched a full-scale investigation into a reported 25-year lease agreement involving the hotel facility at the Samuel Kanyon Doe (SKD) Sports Complex in Paynesville, the Senate Press Bureau has reported.
The decision followed a communication from Sen. Jonathan BoyCharles Sogbie of River Gee County, who informed the Senate that the hotel, originally built to host Liberia’s national football teams, has been leased to a group of Chinese investors in partnership with a Liberian businessman.
According to Sogbie, a former Lone Star striker, the agreement spans 25 years and raises concerns about the use and control of a government-funded facility, particularly as national teams continue to rent private hotels to accommodate players and technical staff.
He said the arrangement has forced national players who should have been housed at the SKD complex to be lodged at various locations, an outcome he argued contradicts the facility’s purpose.
Sogbie described the deal as troubling, noting that public infrastructure designed to benefit Liberians should not be transferred to foreign interests without transparency and proper justification.
According to the Senate Press Beauru, the River Gee lawmaker warned that such agreements undermine Liberia’s sports development goals and deprive the government of revenue that could support national programs.
In response to the concerns, the Senate voted unanimously to summon officials of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Justice to clarify who authorized the lease, the legal basis of the agreement, its terms, and whether it aligns with national laws and the public interest.
The Senate had earlier tasked its Committee on Youth and Sports, chaired by Sen. Bill Twehway of Rivercess County, to lead the inquiry.
The summoned officials are expected to appear before the Senate within two weeks to address questions surrounding the controversial SKD hotel lease.
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