By Sidiki Fofana
Truth In Ink
In the filthy streets of Monrovia, the forgotten villages and towns of rural Liberia , the dusty corridors of Monrovia’s Ministries and on the Senate floor, one phrase continues to echo with a mix of hope, suspicion, and fury: “The Yellow Machines.” Once hailed as a triumph of Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung’s negotiation prowess, the multi-million-dollar procurement of heavy-duty road equipment has become a lightning rod for the broader issues of accountability, transparency, and systemic corruption that have haunted Liberia for decades.
In early 2024, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai announced the government’s intent to acquire earth-moving equipment as part of his infrastructure-focused AREST Agenda, with roads being a central pillar. The Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs, by Minister Mamaka Bility, was tasked with the process to acquire 285 earthmoving machines.
She quoted the cost of the equipments now infamously known as the ” yellow machine ” at $83 million- figure that triggered an immediate backlash. The backlash wasn’t merely about numbers. It was lack of a transparent process which ties to history.
Liberians recall all too well the dark cloud surrounding government concessions. From 2006 to 2016, more than 66 natural resource contracts were signed under the Sirleaf administration, most of which were later deemed “bogus” by the General Auditing Commission and independent watchdogs like Global Witness (2017). These contracts, such as the controversial APM Terminals deal, often shortchanged the country of revenue, imposed harsh terms on local businesses, and left communities impoverished and lands despoiled.
Against this backdrop, the announcement of the “Yellow Machines” at a whopping $83 million felt like déjà vu.
Enter Koung: The Negotiator
Faced with growing public criticism, President Boakai delegated the task to Vice President Jeremiah Koung. In less than a week, Koung stunned the nation by announcing that the cost had been renegotiated down to $22 million—a staggering $61 million reduction.
This was not just a routine correction. It was a moment of political alchemy.
“This wasn’t a price reduction,” political commentator T. Maxwell Yancy wrote, “it was a magical display of negotiation acumen never before seen in Liberian government procurement.”
Koung insisted that the equipment—same brand, same quality, same supplier—would now be delivered at nearly a quarter of the original price. Minister of Public Works Roland Giddings followed up, saying, “Through the negotiation skills of our Vice President, the yellow machines will arrive soon—each county will receive 19 pieces of equipment.”
Even the opposition was compelled to take note. “Now we can support the acquisition of these machines,” one opposition senator admitted on the Senate floor.
Veteran journalist Philibert Brown went further: “Koung’s path to the presidency in 2029 has been coronated… The Liberian people are not ungrateful. They will remember his action that saved this country over $60 million.”
The Legal & Ethical Minefield: Who Authorized $83 Million?
But the celebrations did not answer the central question: Who tried to rob the Republic of $61 million?
This question gains gravity in light of the Boakai administration’s own stated commitment to accountability and transparency. On the campaign trail and in his AREST Agenda, Boakai declared war on corruption and promised a new era of openness.
Yet, when news broke, the President initially characterized the machines as a “gesture from a friend,” a statement that further muddied the waters. If the machines were a donation, how did they have an $83 million price tag attached?
Why was Mamaka Bility, a close confidant of the President and Minister of State, unable to negotiate the same deal Koung managed in a matter of days?
And most importantly—why has there been no investigation, no audit, and no consequences?
Liberia’s Public Procurement and Concessions Act (PPCA) requires competitive bidding and value-for-money principles. If the original $83 million figure was fraudulent or inflated, that act may have been violated, and any public official involved could be liable under Section 143 of the Penal Code for Economic Sabotage.
As civil society organizations like CENTAL and the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI) have often argued, “opacity in procurement and concession deals is the breeding ground of economic crimes.” The yellow machine saga is now an ethical and legal test of President Boakai’s resolve.
History Repeats—or Rewrites Itself?
The controversy also taps into the painful memory of land and national resources being auctioned off for pennies. From the Firestone concession in 1926 that mortgaged a million acres of land to a U.S. corporation for 99 years, to the more recent iron ore and logging deals that have left entire counties resource-rich but development-poor, Liberians know what it means to be cheated in broad daylight.
The $83 million price tag now deflated to $22 million is viewed by many as a modern reenactment of these betrayals.
But is Koung’s intervention a sign of a changing tide—or just another calculated move in the country’s high-stakes political chessboard?
A Hero—or a Candidate?
What cannot be denied is that Koung’s star has risen astronomically. He has been hailed as a national hero, a reformer, and—according to political analyst Michael Paye—“the most effective vice president in modern Liberian history.”
Yet skeptics suggest that this episode, timed so early in Boakai’s term, may also serve Koung’s presidential ambitions. “He’s laid down a marker,” one Monrovia-based diplomat told FrontPage Africa on condition of anonymity. “He’s positioned himself as the man who delivers—quickly, efficiently, and with political flair.”
But even for Koung, the story is not without risk. If he does not push for an audit or expose who inflated the original price, critics may start asking: Was this a genuine act of rescue—or a clever act of campaign strategy? Was he in fact a part of the deal to inflate the price and simply stated the actual price because of public outcry? many wonder .
And so the Machines May Arrive, But Transparency and Accountability will leave .
Liberia may soon have 285 pieces of earth-moving equipment distributed across its 15 counties. According to Public Works Minister “Roads may be built. Dust may finally settle.”
But unless there is a full public disclosure on how the same machines moved from $83 million to $22 million, the deepest potholes will remain—in trust, in governance, and in the soul of the Republic.
About the Author
Sidiki Fofana is a seasoned expert in leadership development, institutional change, and grassroots political strategy. He holds a Master of Science in Organizational Development and Leadership and a Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity from Saint Joseph’s University. As the founder and lead columnist of Truth In Ink Incorporated, Fofana is widely recognized for his objective analysis of politics, ethics, and the shifting dynamics of Liberian democracy.
