SENJEH, Bomi—As the rainy season approaches, a 26-km stretch of road that Bomi contracted to be rehabilitated risks deteriorating as the county has not provided sufficient funds to the construction company.
In 2023, Bomi County’s leadership hired GEOSKOPE Limited to rehabilitate the road between Coleman Hills and Sackie Town for US$500,000. Western Cluster Ltd. provided the financing through the county’s social development fund. The project has been stalled since December 2023, and GEOSKOPE’s management says the county is at fault because it has not paid the remaining 40 percent of the contract.
Franklin Benda, the general manager of GEOSKOPE, told The Bush Chicken that the county had agreed to pay the balance funds for the road when 60 percent of the work was complete, but the county did not live up to the terms of the contract.
The road was meant to bring relief to residents of the largely rural Senjeh District, but a reprieve may not come until the end of this year. Siaffa Morris, who lives in Sackie Town, expressed frustration that the contractor could not finish the project within the stipulated time.
“I know how deplorable our road can be, especially during the rainy season,” Morris said. “From the day they began the rehabilitation work, we have been happy because, after its completion, it will give us relief.”
Another resident, Sando Archie, not only criticized the slow pace of work but also called for more durable culverts to be installed at specific locations along the road to properly accommodate the rainy season.
“I’m hopeful that this road can [be] finished before the rainy season because specific areas on this road can be too bad and overflooded with mud, which causes too much embarrassment for us that move on it every day,” Archie said.
In response to Archie’s concerns about inadequate culverts, Benda noted that every work done on the road meets the Ministry of Public Works standards. He said Bomi’s resident engineer and an assessment team set up to inspect the road produced a report showing the project is 61 percent complete.
“People that are raising issues about culvert installation are not engineers,” he added.
Besides the delays, Benda also drew attention to project materials being stolen from the Beajah Town commissioner’s compound. He said at least 200 pieces of steel rods have been stolen now.
Maima Freeman, the outgoing district commissioner, confirmed the steel rods’ disappearance and promised to cooperate with the company to ensure the culprits are arrested and held accountable. It is unclear who will be responsible for the loss.
Meanwhile, Rep. Obediah J. Varney of Bomi’s first district confirmed that the county owes the contractor but also noted that the road is not up to standard.
Rep. Obediah Varney (middle), Franklin Banda (left), and Maima Freeman (right). Photo: Richard Williams
“We are aware that the county has some money as [a] balance for the company, but they have not done [a] good job on that road,” he said. “We visited the road and observed that they are installing substandard culverts.”
Varney said that although he and other county leaders had brought the issue of the substandard culverts to the company’s attention and their representatives had agreed to make the necessary modifications, nothing had been done yet. He wants the company to be as concerned about the quality of its work as it is about receiving payments.
“In fact, they are [expected] to pre-finance [the project] for now because all of the local officials have not been confirmed,” Varney said.
Varney was only elected in October 2023 and was not a lawmaker when the county signed the contract with GEOSKOPE. He said the agreement needed to be revisited because some clauses were improperly drafted.
Featured photo by Richard Williams
