—Ex-Foreign Minister Kemayah, Mary Broh, NDMA Boss Arrested on Corruption Charges
A widening corruption scandal has rocked Liberia as several senior officials from the former Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) government—including former Foreign Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, ex-General Services Agency Director General Mary Broh, and National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) Executive Director Henry O. Williams—have been arrested for allegedly politicizing and misappropriating humanitarian aid meant for disaster victims.
The arrests, made by the government’s Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce, come in the wake of a damning investigation into the alleged diversion of over 25,000 bags of rice donated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The rice was intended to feed victims of floods, fires, and other natural disasters across Liberia. However, investigators say the aid was instead distributed for “personal and political benefits” without official records or accountability.
“This was a humanitarian gesture by the Saudi people that was grossly abused,”
said Joseph Daniel, Communications Director for the Taskforce, during a live interview on OK FM.
“These individuals held secret meetings and diverted the rice. There’s no record of where it went.”
The rice—29,412 bags in total—was donated in April 2023 by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center. It was consigned through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then headed by Minister Kemayah, and handed over to the NDMA for distribution. While NDMA claimed that 5,000 bags were pre-positioned in Bong County, the whereabouts of the remaining 24,000+ bags remain unknown.
According to the Taskforce, evidence shows that the rice was distributed selectively to communities aligned with the CDC political base, with no formal documentation, warehouse inventory, or disaster response justification. The pattern, officials say, suggests an intentional strategy to convert humanitarian aid into a campaign tool for political advantage.
“This wasn’t just theft—it was political exploitation of suffering,”
Daniel emphasized.
“The aid intended for flood and fire victims was used to build political loyalty in select areas during a critical time.”
The alleged misuse of aid has triggered national outrage and intensified scrutiny of former CDC government officials, many of whom have long faced accusations of corruption and abuse of power during their tenure from 2018 to 2023.
Kemayah, Broh, and Williams are being charged with theft of property, economic sabotage, criminal conspiracy, and abuse of public office. Legal documents from the Ministry of Justice indicate that these charges stem from months of investigation, including interviews with insiders, audits of warehouse logs, and tracking of internal communications between the accused officials.
The accused are expected to be formally arraigned this week in Monrovia. Meanwhile, President Joseph Boakai’s administration has vowed to pursue all those responsible.
“This is just the beginning,” Daniel said. “We are determined to retrieve what belongs to the Liberian people and hold accountable those who exploited the vulnerable for political gain.”
Since taking office in January 2024, President Boakai has made fighting corruption the hallmark of his administration. In one of his first executive actions, he established the Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce, led by legal expert Cllr. Edwin Kla Martin, to investigate and recover stolen government assets.
“There will be no sacred cows,” Boakai said in a national address earlier this year. “Those who betrayed the public trust must face justice. The resources meant for the people must never again be used to feed politics.”
Boakai’s government has promised that at least 17 high-profile corruption cases from the previous regime will be prosecuted, with more arrests expected in the coming weeks.
The arrests have sparked widespread public condemnation. Civil society organizations, international partners, and local citizens have decried the alleged politicization of aid.
Citizens across disaster-prone areas like Logan Town, Slipway, and West Point have expressed anger upon learning that relief meant for them may have been used for political favoritism.
“I lost my home in a fire last year and received no help. Now I know why,” said Sarah Kollie, a resident of Slipway community. “Those who stole from us should never hold office again.”
As the case moves forward, legal analysts anticipate a high-stakes prosecution that could redefine Liberia’s approach to public integrity and aid management. Prosecutors are expected to present evidence including warehouse records, distribution lists, eyewitness testimony, and internal memos.
The Ministry of Justice says it is also tracing possible financial kickbacks or political contributions tied to the diverted rice.
The scandal is now seen as a litmus test for Boakai’s anti-corruption crusade and a possible reckoning for Liberia’s entrenched culture of political patronage.
“This is not just about rice,” said analyst T. Michael Wreh. “It’s about breaking a system that for too long allowed aid, resources, and even national dignity to be traded for political survival.
