KAKATA, Margibi—Following her nomination by President Joseph Boakai and subsequent confirmation by the Senate, Victoria Duncan has been inducted into office as the first female superintendent of Margibi.
Duncan was Margibi’s assistant superintendent for development from 2012-2016 before resigning to be appointed as stipendiary magistrate of the Kakata Magisterial Court. She was later transferred to the Nyein Magisterial Court in Todee, Montserrado.
She has a bachelor of arts degree in history from the University of Ghana, a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Liberia, and a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Liberia.
Duncan’s induction as superintendent took place on May 7 at Kakata City Hall. All members of the county’s legislative caucus were absent—only a few people, mostly former local officials, chiefs, and elders, attended.
Regarding the Margibi Legislative Caucus’s absence from the induction, Representative Emmanuel Yarh, the Caucus secretary, told The Bush Chicken that the Caucus did not receive an invitation, contrary to Duncan’s claims that the lawmakers were invited.
In her induction statement, Duncan vowed to work in the interest of the people of Margibi, citing transparency and accountability as hallmarks of her leadership.
Duncan said she would commission an audit of the county’s immediate past administration. This would help her understand the county’s financial status and allow her to improve upon progress made and tackle challenges for the future.
“The request for an audit is in good faith, and its purpose is to determine where this administration is starting from,” Duncan said.
She named rebuilding the burned C.H. Rennie Hospital in Kakata and youth capacity building at the top of her agenda for Margibi.
“We will work cooperatively with our partners to make our county better in infrastructural development, such as the need for the construction of the county referral hospital, as well as building our human resource capacity by educating our young men and women for future opportunities in Liberia and the world,” Duncan said.
The county’s former superintendent, Jerry Varnie, attended the induction and was listed as a “special guest” but he did not make any official remarks except to turn over the gavel of authority to Duncan.
Featured photo courtesy of Yawah Jaivey
