Investigation conducted by the Hot Pepper suggests that President George Manneh Weah is contemplating on organizing a presidential taskforce to clamp down on power theft, with many of whom he has consulted recommending the Director General of the General Service Agency, Mary Broh, to head the taskforce.
The news about Mary Broh heading the presidential taskforce on power theft is said to be instilling fear in many individuals involved with power theft, including government officials, for fear that Broh would disgrace them and bring them to public ridicule, as she is a no-nonsense person who will go the extra mile to get the job done.
The Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), created by an act of Legislature in 1973 to produce and supply economic and reliable electric power to the citizenry, has been crippled by rampant power theft. This menace has rendered the corporation incapable of handling its responsibility of catering to its employees and providing for its needs; hence, it heavily relies on the government for subsidy in order for it to carry out its own daily operations.
Since the end of the civil war, the Liberian government and its international partners have been investing so much in the rehabilitation of the Mt. Coffee Hydropower Plant, as well as equipping the LEC to ably distribute power to the citizenry. Unfortunately, as a state-owned enterprise with the responsibility of contributing to the revenue generation of the government, the LEC still depends on partners to fund its daily activities because of power theft, which is hindering the corporation from generating the needed resources.
The Hot Pepper investigation reveals that, while the government is subsidizing the LEC with millions of dollars for power distribution, the LEC is losing millions of dollars to power theft which, if regulated, could step up the revenue generation of the corporation.
On October 4, 2019, President Weah signed into law an act to amend Chapter 15 of the Penal Law, by adding thereto a new section, 15.88, which provides for power theft. This provision was intended to recognize and treat power theft as a national security threat, define adequately the various conducts that constitute power theft and prescribe proportionate penalties to the offence.
Also, on August 26, 2021, the U.S. Ambassador accredited near Monrovia, Michael McCarthy, during a visit to the LEC, learned that power theft and unpaid bills accounted for over 50 percent of the electricity produced by LEC, which seriously threatened the financial viability of the organization. He warned that the Government of Liberia (GOL) must do all it can to end power theft, because each connection that is not generating revenue is a step toward the collapse of the electric grid and a contribution to revenue loss.
Ambassador McCarthy underscored that some individuals and companies are using their political connections to keep from paying and, if the government must fix the problem, actions need to be taken—payment of electricity bills, prosecutions, convictions and substantial sentences and fines for power theft. “This needs to be a systemic focus—nothing will improve without a strong response across the judicial system, supported at the highest levels of the Liberian government,” he emphasized.
However, with all these measures and harsh statements, it appears like nothing has changed the attitude of the power thieves, leaving a message that more needs to be done in the fight against power theft.
According to the investigation, it is in this regard that President Weah is contemplating of constituting a taskforce on power theft, and that all those President Weah have spoken to about forming the taskforce are recommending that Mary Broh heads the taskforce, including the Chief Executive Officer and Board Chair of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), Monie R. Captan.
Even though President Weah has made no announcement of such a taskforce or appointing Broh to it, words are getting around that government officials illegally using electricity are beginning to panic and have started to do the right thing by legitimizing their source of electricity with the LEC, for fear that they would be disgraced by Broh if she finds out.
But as the nation goes closer to the 2023 general and presidential elections, it is doubted whether the president will monster the political will to implement his plan.
It is no argument that Broh cares less about political interest; as such, appointing her to head the taskforce may jeopardize the government’s chances of reelection, because many residents of Monrovia are either tapping on someone’s meter or using LEC’s anti-power theft crew to get a connection, and cutting off their power lines could spark up disenchantments that could lead to them democratically rising up against the government at the ballot box.
On the flipside, Broh’s reputation precedes her image in every position she has been appointed to; thus, heading the taskforce could yield the anticipated result of curtailing power theft. The corporation could also realize a huge income generation, thereby restoring to pre-war status and contributing to the revenue generation of the government, instead of relying on the government and its partners for support. Investigation continues.