CSA Chief Joekai Lost in Fiscal ABCs: Fumbles on Live Radio
- Michael T
- 14 hours ago
- 2 min read
MONROVIA, Aug 26 – Civil Service Agency boss Josiah Jokai’s on‑air fumble over the Finance Ministry’s basic reporting mandate has come to symbolize the broader weaknesses of President Joseph Boakai’s administration.
On OK FM’s Julius Jeh Show, Jokai phoned in to defend his agency’s 2024 wage report, which sharply contradicts the Finance Ministry’s more recent figures. In the studio, Benedict Kolubah, former assistant minister for development planning, pressed him over the discrepancies.
The CSA says it has achieved monthly savings of about US$2.4 million by removing some 5,500 “ghost workers,” reducing the wage bill from around US$23.5 million to just above US$21 million. Its November 2024 report put the number of active employees at roughly 62,000, down from 67,746.
But the Finance Ministry’s August 2025 report points to a far more costly reality: a monthly payroll of US$26 million. Instead of providing reconciliation, Jokai suggested the gap arose because the ministry included State‑Owned Enterprises (SOEs) in its tally — an assertion that raised questions about his competence and understanding of basic public financial management proceedings.
SOEs manage their payrolls independently and do not rely on the central government system. Amos Tweh, head of one of the SoEs, particularly Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC), joined the show to rebut Jokai’s explanation, though he later clarified on his Facebook page that his rebuttal was at the statement made and not necessarily at Joekai. SOEs are expected to follow wage standardization policies but operate separate payrolls, which are not counted in central government reporting.
Any public explanation attributing large shifts in payroll solely to SOE inclusion misrepresents the facts. And coming from someone like the CSA boss says a lot about basic understanding at the helm.
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