A prominent citizen of Kakata District #3, Bob T. Bundo, has appealed directly to President Joseph Nyumah Boakai for urgent government intervention into worsening road and electricity problems affecting communities along the Kakata Police Station-26 Gate corridor.
Bundo's appeal centers on two interconnected infrastructure concerns: the deteriorating road linking the Kakata Police Station to 26 Gate and the absence of electricity from the Kpelleh Community through Garmaygan to 26 Gate.
He argues that the problems have moved beyond inconvenience, affecting transportation, public safety and the ability of residents to move freely after dark.
According to Bundo, the road has deteriorated considerably, with numerous potholes making movement difficult for motorists, motorcyclists, students, pregnant women and other residents who depend on the route daily.
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He said the condition is particularly troubling because the corridor serves communities that rely on road access for basic economic and social activities.
For residents, a damaged local road can have consequences far beyond transportation costs. Poor road conditions can make it more difficult for people to reach markets, schools, health facilities and workplaces, while increasing the risk of vehicle damage and accidents.
Liberia's national transport authorities have increasingly emphasized road safety and infrastructure protection, including axle-load enforcement intended to reduce damage to roads and bridges. The Ministry of Transport has also identified road asset management and road financing as important elements of improving the country's transport network.
Against that national backdrop, Bundo is asking the government to give greater attention to the condition of roads serving communities within Kakata.
Bundo's concerns extend beyond potholes.
He said the lack of street lighting along the corridor compounds the problem, particularly at night, creating conditions that he believes expose commuters to criminal activity.
He alleged that motorbikes, mobile phones, cash and other valuables are frequently snatched from motorists and pedestrians.
These claims have not been independently verified, but if substantiated, they would add a public-safety dimension to what is already an infrastructure concern.
For communities without reliable lighting, road rehabilitation alone may not fully address nighttime security. Street lighting, police visibility and safe transportation infrastructure can operate together as components of a broader community-safety strategy.
The concern also highlights the connection between electricity access and public safety. Bundo is therefore urging authorities to view the road and electricity problems as linked community-development priorities rather than isolated infrastructure complaints.
Bundo's appeal comes as Liberia continues efforts to expand electricity access beyond Monrovia.
Government development records show that Margibi County is included in national electricity-access initiatives, including the Liberia Electricity Sector Strengthening and Access Project and its second phase. The projects are intended to expand electricity distribution to communities and strengthen the country's electricity sector.
Margibi has also been part of Liberia's rural-electrification efforts. Government project records show the county among the locations covered by the CLSG Rural Electrification initiative.
The existence of national projects, however, does not necessarily mean that every community or settlement has received electricity.
It is against this gap between national infrastructure programs and conditions experienced at community level that Bundo is asking for intervention along the Kpelleh-Garmaygan-26 Gate corridor.
Despite his concerns, Bundo praised President Boakai for deploying yellow machines to Margibi County, describing the equipment as tangible evidence of government attention to infrastructure.
He urged county authorities to ensure that the equipment is properly used and that communities benefit directly from the government's investment.
The appeal reflects a broader expectation that public infrastructure equipment should translate into visible improvements at community level.
For Bundo, the presence of the machinery should be followed by targeted road rehabilitation, particularly on routes that residents say have become increasingly difficult to navigate.
He therefore called on the county authorities and relevant government agencies to treat the Kakata Police Station-26 Gate road as an urgent priority.
Bundo also acknowledged that Firestone Liberia has previously undertaken maintenance work on the road.
However, he argued that the burden of maintaining the route should not rest on one company because several businesses and commercial operators use the corridor.
As a contractor associated with Firestone Liberia, Bundo said other companies regularly use the road and contribute to its deterioration.
He therefore called for greater responsibility from companies benefiting from the route and encouraged them to participate in finding a sustainable solution.
His argument raises an important infrastructure question: where roads serve both communities and commercial operations, should maintenance be treated solely as a government responsibility, or should major private users contribute to maintaining infrastructure on which their operations depend?
A sustainable arrangement could require clearer coordination among government authorities, local communities and businesses using the road, particularly where commercial traffic contributes significantly to road deterioration.
The Kakata appeal also reflects a broader issue facing the country's infrastructure development.
The government has ongoing projects covering electricity expansion, transportation services and regional infrastructure. The Liberia Development Dashboard, for example, lists Margibi among counties benefiting from national electricity-strengthening and access programs.
But development is ultimately experienced locally.
For a pregnant woman trying to reach a health facility, a student traveling to school, a motorcyclist navigating potholes or a resident returning home after dark, the condition of a particular road and the presence or absence of electricity can matter more immediately than the existence of a national development strategy.
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That is why Bundo's appeal is essentially a call for last-mile development--ensuring that national infrastructure priorities reach the communities where citizens live.
Bundo is now asking President Boakai to intervene and ensure that the road and electricity challenges affecting District #3 receive urgent attention.
He also wants county authorities to ensure that government road equipment is used effectively and that companies operating along the corridor participate in addressing the road's deterioration.
His appeal can be distilled into three immediate concerns-a safer and more accessible road, expanded electricity access and greater nighttime security.
Whether those demands can be addressed will depend on coordination among the national government, county authorities, electricity-sector institutions, road agencies, security authorities and private companies operating in the area.
For residents of Kpelleh, Garmaygan and 26 Gate, however, the expectation is straightforward: development should be visible not only in national plans and government announcements, but also on the roads they travel and in the communities where they live.
Bundo's message to the President is therefore less a call for another policy announcement than for visible intervention on the ground.
As he put it, residents of Kakata and surrounding communities need immediate relief--and he is asking the government to make their road, electricity and security concerns an urgent development priority.
