Liberian Senate has been formally alerted to concerns over a reported rollback of public sector salary harmonization, following a communication from Bong County Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe Jr.
In a letter addressed to Senate President Pro-Tempore Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, Senator Snowe cited recent public statements allegedly made by Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, suggesting that harmonized salary structures at certain government institutions have been reversed.
According to the senator, the reported action affects several autonomous and integrity institutions, including the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), the General Auditing Commission (GAC), and the Judiciary.
He warned that such a move, if confirmed, could undermine legislative authority and violate existing laws governing public sector compensation.
Snowe stressed that the Act to Establish the National Remuneration Standardization of 2019 remains legally binding, noting that it has not been repealed, amended, or modified by the Legislature.
He argued that the law provides the statutory framework for salary harmonization across public institutions and does not grant unilateral powers to the Executive Branch or its agencies to reverse the policy.
The senator further pointed to potential implications for budgetary compliance, cautioning that any deviation from approved remuneration structures without legislative approval could amount to a breach of the budget process.
Snowe’s letter comes amid growing public debate over government pay policies and the autonomy of integrity institutions. The matter is expected to trigger further scrutiny within the Senate, including possible hearings or engagement with the Ministry of Finance for clarification.
As of press time, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning had not publicly responded to the concerns raised by Senator Snowe.
Trokon S. Wrepue is a Liberian journalist with 9 years of experience in the practice of journalism. Over the years, Trokon has reported on women and children issues, investigated public and private sectors corruption, environmental challenges and other critical human interest stories. He is currently the Editor of News for OK FM, one of Liberia’s premier media institutions in Monrovia. Besides being a journalist, Trokon is also a Mandela Washington Fellow. In 2022, he travelled to California in the US where he studied leadership, culture and diversities at the California State University. In 2023, he travelled to Johannesburg in South Africa and attended the Mandela Washington Fellowship Symposium of Young African Leaders.
