Liberia’s $22 Million “Yellow Machines” Deal: A “Savings” That Raises More Questions Than Answers
- Michael T
- Jun 23
- 2 min read
Koung’s celebrated “savings” on Liberia’s yellow machines deal now faces a barrage of questions—was it fiscal prudence or just a new chapter in procurement opacity?
When Vice President Jeremiah Koung announced he had renegotiated Liberia’s controversial yellow machines deal from a staggering $85–$79 million down to $22 million, the government framed it as a triumph of fiscal discipline and anti-corruption resolve.
However, rather than closing the book on a scandal, the so-called rescue has only deepened public suspicion and exposed troubling gaps in transparency, legality, and logic.
The government’s narrative—that Koung’s intervention saved Liberia from a massive heist—now appears as a smokescreen.
If $22 million was always a realistic price, who stood to pocket the original $58 million markup? If the deal is truly above board, why the persistent secrecy and shifting stories? And why, after declaring the deal closed, is the Vice President now leading delegations to China to “inspect” factories and negotiate terms that should already be settled?
The yellow machine deal has become more than a procurement dispute—it is a test of whether the Boakai administration’s promises of transparency and reform are real or rhetorical. The facts are damning: the deal was announced and partially executed without any evidence of a formal procurement process or legislative approval. The Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC), which by law must review and approve such contracts, has stated it has no record of the deal ever reaching its office. No competitive bidding, no published procurement plan, no legislative scrutiny—just a series of executive maneuvers and shifting narratives. Until when pressured by the Executive, he somersaulted to save his job.
Liberia’s Public Procurement and Concessions Act (PPCA) is unambiguous: all major government procurements must follow a strict sequence—budgetary allocation, procurement planning, competitive bidding, evaluation, and independent oversight, including “no objection” from the PPCC and final approval by the Ministry of Justice for contracts over $250,000. None of these steps is visible in the Yellow Machines saga. Instead, the process has been driven by political intervention, with the Vice President—who has no formal procurement authority—at the center of negotiations, pricing, and now, international inspections.
Even as the first batch of machines rolled into Monrovia in 2024, no agreement had been presented to the Legislature, and the true terms of the deal remain hidden from public view.
What began as a supposed rescue operation is now being recast as a scandal never seen before. From fixer to spoiler, Vice President Koung’s transformation in the yellow machines saga reflects not just the fragility of reform promises but also the limits of personality-driven governance. Until the government answers to the law and the public, the logic of Koung’s $22 million “rescue” will remain as suspect as the original scandal.
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https://www.newrepublicliberia.com/liberian-news-boakai-administration-saves-over-us20m/
https://liberianinvestigator.com/news/analysis/boakai-yellow-machines-deal-controversy/
https://gnnliberia.com/the-58m-mystery-in-liberias-yellow-machines-deal/
https://thenewsnewspaperonline.com/us22m-procurement-of-285-yellow-machines-finalized/
https://thenewdawnliberia.com/govt-defends-yellow-machine-deal/
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