MONROVIA – A group under the banner “United Citizens Mass Action Against Repeal of the Local Government Act of 2018” has urged the National Legislature to avoid any amendment to the 2018 Local Government Act that reduces the role of County Councils in the approval and management of development funds.
In a petition read by Miss Confort G. Giwlay, the group called on the Executive Branch to reaffirm its commitment to participatory governance and support the full implementation of the Local Government Act as a framework for inclusive development and the promotion of decentralization, principles President Joseph Boakai reaffirmed during his 2024 inaugural address
The group’s protest comes just days after a coalition of leading civil society organizations firmly rejected a proposed bill seeking to amend the Local Government Act (LGA) of 2018, warning that the move could dismantle grassroots governance and return control of county development planning to lawmakers, a system previously plagued by corruption and political interference.
At a press conference held Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at the Sinkor offices of the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL), four prominent advocacy institutions, CENTAL, Naymote Partners for Democratic Development, the Women NGO Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL), and the Center for Democratic Governance (CDG), issued a strongly worded joint statement opposing the proposed amendment.
The bill, introduced by Grand Gedeh County District #1 Representative Jeremiah Sokan, seeks to amend Sections 2.2 (e) and (f) of the Local Government Act. These provisions empower County Councils to approve county development plans and budgets, an authority the lawmaker argues infringes on legislative oversight. The bill has since been forwarded to several House committees for review.
Reading the joint statement, CENTAL Executive Director Anderson Miamen asserted that the proposed changes are not only legally unfounded but risk reversing key gains made toward decentralizing power and ensuring inclusive governance. He stressed that the LGA is a landmark piece of legislation meant to empower local communities, not legislators.
“Liberia’s governance has long been overly centralized, depriving ordinary citizens of influence over decisions that directly affect their lives,” Miamen said. “The Local Government Act sought to change that by empowering County Councils to represent diverse community voices, including women, youth, people with disabilities, and civil society actors.”
The civil society organizations explained that, while the LGA was passed in 2018 under President George Weah’s administration, meaningful steps to implement it only began in 2023. They attributed the delay to weak political will and warned that further interference now could derail the entire decentralization agenda.
The CSOs emphasized that the powers granted to County Councils do not override legislative oversight. In fact, they argued, all funding for county projects comes from national budgets already debated and passed by the Legislature. Therefore, claims of conflicting oversight roles are misleading.
“How can the Legislature argue that it lacks oversight when all County Council funds are already contained in the national budget it approves?” Miamen asked rhetorically. “Should lawmakers also demand to approve every individual expenditure from all budget lines across government?”
They also questioned the rationale of reinstating legislative caucuses at the center of county development planning. Past experience, the groups noted, shows that caucus-led development led to incomplete and politically motivated projects, often serving lawmakers’ interests at the expense of communities.
According to the statement, there is “no evidence” that County Legislative Caucuses are more qualified than County Councils to approve budgets or development plans. On the contrary, legislative interference has historically bred corruption and waste in the allocation of County Social Development Funds (CSDF).
The organizations argued that the real motivation behind the amendment is to restore financial control to lawmakers at the county level, a move they describe as regressive and undemocratic. They pointed out that legislative caucuses are not constitutional bodies of decision-making but informal associations of lawmakers with common interests.
“Legislative authority resides in the Legislature assembled, not in caucuses,” the statement read. “These groups may advocate, but they have no legal basis to manage local governance or budgets.”
The CSOs also rejected claims that County Council members are unqualified due to a lack of formal education. They said that such reasoning is both elitist and hypocritical, especially given the minimal educational requirements for legislators themselves.
Furthermore, the LGA accounts for potential capacity issues by establishing Support Offices for County Councils, including administrative and legal personnel to assist council members with technical matters.
From a gender perspective, the coalition warned that removing County Councils from development oversight would erase years of progress in women’s inclusion. Under the current law, women are guaranteed representation in County Councils, aligning with Liberia’s national and international gender equality commitments.
