The Civil Service Agency (CSA) has uncovered widespread personnel and administrative irregularities at the Ministry of Local Government, revealing that 1,381 employees remain unverified while 92 workers are recommended for dismissal following a comprehensive Personnel and Credential Verification Exercise.
The findings were presented on Friday, May 8, 2026, by CSA Director-General Dr. Josiah F. Joekai Jr. to Local Government Minister F. Sakila Nyumalin Sr. in Monrovia. The report highlights serious deficiencies in documentation, workforce qualifications, attendance, and payroll integrity across the Ministry.
The verification exercise, launched in December 2025 at the request of the Ministry--then operating as the Ministry of Internal Affairs--initially began in Montserrado County before expanding in February 2026 to the remaining fourteen counties. The process targeted all employees nationwide.
According to Dr. Joekai, a total of 4,724 employees, representing 100 percent of the Ministry's workforce, were targeted during the 24-day exercise. Of that number, 3,325 employees, or 70 percent, were successfully verified, while 1,381 employees, accounting for 29 percent, remain unverified.
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Despite the Ministry's Excuse Ledger recording 18 employees with legitimate reasons for absence, Dr. Joekai stressed the seriousness of the findings, noting, "it was discovered that 3 out of every 10 employees remain unverified."
He further broke down the composition of the workforce, stating, "Of the total workforce of the Ministry of Local Government, civil servants constitute 1,770 (37.5%), while appointees who are being paid make up 1,555 (32.9%). We also have another category of appointees which we consider Special Case Appointees. These are appointees who are supposed to be enrolled onto the national payroll system. They number 830, constituting 17.58%."
The report raises concerns over weak record-keeping systems within the Ministry, with several personnel files missing critical documents such as employment letters, academic credentials, recommendation letters, and national identification.
"What that show is a weak documentation system, and that undermines accountability and workforce planning. It needs immediate intervention," Dr. Joekai warned.
Attendance irregularities also featured prominently in the findings, with 474 cases of anomalies recorded and 279 employees expected to face penalties.
"These attendance anomalies signal a disturbing problem with productivity and efficiency, which must be addressed as per the recommendations contained in the report," he emphasized.
The sanctions recommended include salary deductions for 77 employees, suspension without pay for 305 employees, and dismissal of 92 employees.
On qualifications, the report paints a troubling picture of the Ministry's workforce capacity. Dr. Joekai disclosed that 1,160 employees lack any academic or professional credentials, while 290 possess only high school diplomas.
He further revealed that 156 employees hold bachelor's degrees, 63 have associate degrees, 86 possess vocational certifications, 12 hold master's degrees, and only one employee has a PhD.
"Overall, over 82% of employees of the Ministry of Local Government have either no credentials or only a high school diploma, signaling a gross lack of advanced qualifications. That also means... there is still a significant gap, and you have to pay attention to that," he stated.
He recommended "a robust, intentional, and aggressive education and capacity development program" to address the gap.
The report also exposes significant gender disparities within the Ministry. Among civil servants, 1,238 are male, representing 69.94 percent, while 532 are female, accounting for 30.06 percent.
The imbalance is even more pronounced among appointees on the payroll, where 1,396 are male, constituting 89.83 percent, compared to just 159 females, representing 10.17 percent.
In terms of job placement, 1,444 employees were found to be properly placed in their roles, while 257 are underqualified. Additionally, 55 employees are overqualified and 14 are misplaced.
Dr. Joekai noted that 18.42 percent of the workforce requires urgent human resource intervention, including reclassification, redeployment, and targeted training.
On workforce sustainability, the report indicates that 936 employees are below the age of 50, 411 falls within the pre-retirement range of 50 to 59, and 406 employees have reached retirement age. It also found that 17 employees have no recorded dates of birth.
To address the issues, the CSA has outlined a series of corrective measures, including the immediate blocking of the 1,381 unverified employees from the payroll pending verification in collaboration with the Ministry.
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Dr. Joekai warned that employees who fail to appear for verification within 30 days will be removed from the payroll in line with CSA policy.
Other measures include suspension without pay for 305 employees, salary deductions for 77 employees, dismissal of 92 employees, retirement processing for 406 employees, and the reclassification and redeployment of staff based on qualifications.
He praised the Ministry of Local Government and the United Nations Development Programme for supporting the exercise, describing it as "a giant step toward public sector reform and enhanced productivity."
He added that the initiative aligns with the CSA's mandate to strengthen human resource management across 109 government spending entities.
Receiving the report, Minister Nyumalin commended the CSA for what he described as a comprehensive assessment that will inform policy direction and reform efforts at the Ministry.
The presentation also featured the unveiling of a Human Resources Digital System on Personnel Management and was attended by officials from the Ministry of Education, the Governance Commission, and development partners, all of whom praised the CSA for undertaking the nationwide verification exercise.
