Claim: “Four water trucks are a donation from Vice President Jeremiah Koung?”
Verdict: Misleading, the trucks were acquired by the previous government, not Vice President Jeremiah Koung.
Full text: Jeremiah Kpan Koung is a Liberian politician who is Liberia’s 31st and current vice president. He served in the House of Representatives from 2012 to 2020.
Koung was elected to the Senate of Liberia in 2020. He became the standard bearer of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction in 2022.
In 2023, Joseph Boakai selected Koung as his running mate during the presidential race.
On April 25, 2024, Koung, the vice president of the Republic of Liberia, commissioned four government-procured sewage and water trucks at the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC).
The trucks are geared towards government efforts to alleviate the mounting challenges faced by LWSC in providing safe drinking water and addressing the poor sewage system in the country.
Following the commissioning exercise, Facebook users, including blogs, have made posts about it; one such is Shine Liberia, a local blog bent on spreading false information.
The blog posted that “Vice President Jeremiah Koung has dedicated 4 water trucks to the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation. It’s called: Steal Millions Behind Close Doors and Donate Peanuts on Camera. Congratulations ”
Many of the comments agreed with the blog for “exposing” the government. Up until the time of our research, the post has generated 106 reactions, 45 comments, and five shares.
Verification: Mohammed Ali is the Managing Director of the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC).
He told the gathering at the event on April 25, 2024, that the trucks were arranged by his predecessor from the Weah administration.
Ali puts the estimated cost of the trucks at over nine hundred thousand US dollars. He stated that the truck acquisition process was satisfactory under the previous LWSC administration.
According to the LWSC, two sewer trucks are valued at U$ 437,500, with each purchased for U$ 218,750, and three water trucks are valued at U$ 453,600, with each purchased for U$ 151,200.
Cactus Motors delivered two sewer trucks in October 2023, and two of the three trucks in April 2024.
Funding for the five Trucks was made exclusively by the Liberian government under the former President George M. Weah through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.
A balance of 150,000 is due to the importer upon delivery of the remaining 1 water truck, according to LWSC.
Conclusion: the trucks were never donated by Koung instead he commissioned them on behalf of the government of Liberia.
