2026 Draft Budget Deserves Greater Scrutiny Before Senate Approval-- Sen. Konneh

Senator Amara M. Konneh has issued a strong and principled defense of legislative oversight, calling for deeper scrutiny of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Draft National Budget totaling US$1.2 billion, following what he described as the House of Representatives’ swift approval of the budget without adequate examination. Senator Konneh’s position, articulated in recent public statements and legislative engagements, has ignited widespread national debate and, regrettably, personal attacks from some former colleagues. 

Nevertheless, the Senator remains resolute, emphasizing that his stance is not driven by politics or personalities, but by constitutional responsibility and commitment to sound public financial management. “As an elected Senator of the Republic, I have a sworn constitutional duty to exercise oversight and to ensure that the national budget reflects our declared priorities and serves the best interests of the Liberian people,” Senator Konneh stated. “Standing up for careful examination is not obstruction; it is governance.” 

Senator Konneh disclosed that his concerns regarding the FY 2026 Draft Budget were communicated in advance to colleagues across both the Legislative and Executive branches. These concerns, however, were largely ignored mirroring events in 2024, when he and others flagged and substantiated manipulations in the FY 2024 budget. Despite evidence presented at the time, no corrective action followed. “This pattern of ignoring legitimate red flags weakens public confidence in our institutions,” he said. “Oversight is most effective when it is proactive, not reactive.” 

Addressing public defenses of what he previously termed “illegal and reckless transfers,” Senator Konneh referenced the Budget Transfer Act of 2008, stressing that its provisions are unambiguous. The Act stipulates that all monies appropriated under the national budget and supplementary appropriation acts shall be used solely for the purposes for which they are appropriated. Transfers may be approved only when they are essential. “The transfers in question were not essential,” Senator Konneh asserted. “They were routine, convenient, and reckless.” 

While acknowledging that the law permits limited movement of funds, he cautioned that such flexibility does not excuse the erosion of sector priorities or the dilution of legislative intent. The Act itself warns that excessive transfers across ministries, agencies, programs, or budget items can undermine accountability and frustrate the achievement of fiscal objectives. One of the central pillars of Senator Konneh’s argument is that prevailing fiscal conditions do not support the justification advanced for the transfers. According to reports from the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), domestic revenue collections have exceeded projections in multiple quarters, signaling strong revenue performance. “The government is not cash-strapped,” Senator Konneh noted. 

“There was no urgent liquidity crisis that required stripping allocations from agriculture, the Roberts International Airport (RIA), or the Public Sector Investment Program to fund recurrent costs elsewhere.” He argued that the transfers were driven by choice, not necessity a choice that undermined the President’s declared ARREST Agenda, particularly agriculture, which is its first pillar and the backbone of employment for the majority of Liberians. Senator Konneh detailed the tangible and troubling impacts of the transfers on key national priorities: 

• Roberts International Airport (RIA): The removal of approximately 62 percent of the airport’s upgrade allocation poses serious risks to safety and operational reliability. Senator Konneh recalled widely circulated videos of aborted landings during the previous administration due to power outages and underscored persistent challenges, including non-functional jetways, escalators, and connectivity systems.
• Agriculture Value Chain: The diversion of US$1.2 million from core agricultural programs has weakened progress in a sector declared as a national priority under the ARREST Agenda, directly affecting food security and rural livelihoods.
• Landfill and Urban Sanitation Project: The diversion of 50 percent of this project’s allocation has undermined efforts to maintain a clean and healthy Monrovia. “We once criticized mountains of garbage under the previous government,” Senator Konneh noted. “We cannot now repeat or excuse similar failures.”
• Revenue Enhancement Project: Funds intended to strengthen revenue collection capacity were reallocated, potentially weakening fiscal sustainability and long-term domestic resource mobilization.

“These are not abstract reallocations,” Senator Konneh emphasized. “They are direct blows to infrastructure, public health, food security, and fiscal credibility.” Senator Konneh clarified that he does not oppose the use of General Claims as a budgetary instrument. His concern, however, centers on opacity particularly when General Claims are collapsed under a new spending entity without clear disclosure of governance, management, and reporting mechanisms. “Without clarity, transparency becomes nominal rather than functional,” he warned. 

“Legislative oversight is weakened when accountability is vague.” He stressed that the Legislature and the public deserve to know who is responsible for managing such funds, how decisions will be documented, and who will be held accountable. Introducing such a category without notifying or engaging the Legislature, he said, reflects a disregard for the principles of fiscal accountability. Rejecting attempts to deflect criticism by invoking past administrations, Senator Konneh stated that the current government was elected on a rescue mission to correct wrongs and improve governance. 

“This is not a race to the bottom,” he said. “It is not about justifying present failures by pointing to past excesses. Oversight is about current execution.” He reiterated that the Senate’s role is to ensure that appropriations reflect national priorities and that budget execution delivers measurable results. When practices undermine those goals, oversight becomes mandatory, not optional. In closing, Senator Konneh underscored that his advocacy is about Liberia not political parties or individuals. 

He cautioned against treating the national budget as petty cash, where funds can be moved at will without legislative approval. “While budget transfers may be lawful, the law established processes and checkpoints to guard against frivolous reallocations,” he said. “The Budget Transfer Act speaks clearly against excessive transfers that consistently divert funds from declared priorities, especially in a year of strong revenue performance.” 

Senator Konneh called on his fellow Senators to focus not only on the legality of transfers, but on their developmental impact particularly on agriculture, health, education, infrastructure, sanitation, and aviation safety. He reaffirmed his commitment to enforcing tighter guardrails, real-time reporting, and outcome-based accountability through the Public Accounts and Audits Committee during FY 2026. “The Unity Party won the election on the promise of transparency, accountability, and enlightened governance,” Senator Konneh concluded. “We should not be afraid of an informed public or a rigorous debate on the national budget. That is how democracy and development are strengthened.”