DUNCAN VILLAGE COMMUNITY, Bong—An abandoned government-funded town hall project in Duncan Village, in the suburbs of Gbarnga, has now become a major criminal hideout, prompting calls from the community for the government to prioritize completing the work.
Bong’s Sen. Prince Moye recommended the project to the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment in 2016 for implementation as part of his allotments for Legislative Support Projects when he was representative for the county’s second electoral district.
LACE then contracted the Sesay Brothers, a local construction company in Bong, to implement the project, valued at US$115,000.
The town hall construction commenced, progressed to the roof level, and then stalled in late 2016.
With the growing numbers of at-risk youth in Gbarnga, like in other cities in Liberia, the abandoned town hall project is at the moment serving as a hideout for criminals who often terrorize residents of the community, stealing valuables, especially during night hours.
The residents of Duncan Village are holding Senator Moye accountable for the unfinished project in their community. They say the lawmaker has not told them the reason the project has been stalled for about nine years now.
In a recent Bush Chicken interview, the community’s chair lady, Esther Sumo, said the abandoned town hall project shows the long-term neglect their community continues to experience from their then-representative and now-senator Moye.
Sumo and her citizens want Moye to pay attention and engage the government in completing the town hall so that the community can use it.
In a text message, Moye said the LACE project started during the regime of former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf through his office and was based on the community’s request.
“But since the Weah government came in, LACE failed to finish it,” he added. “I [have] engaged LACE since 2018, but the project was not completed. But what I can say to you is that the project will be completed, meaning LACE will do.”
The CEO of Saysay Brothers, Ansu Saysay, told The Bush Chicken that LACE only paid him US$19,500 for his work on the project and refused to make further payments for its completion. The Bush Chicken could not verify this information with LACE.
Featured photo by Patrick Stephen Tokpah
