KARNPLAY, Nimba County – For nearly a year, members of the disabled community in Karnplay, Gbehlay Geh, Nimba, have been tirelessly striving to compel their association’s former president, Prince Gblenwon, to evict the tenants from the recently built structure intended for their official office.

                                                          By: Vivian Woyah

In 2021, former President George Weah allocated ten thousand United States Dollars (USD 10,000) to the disabled community, led by Prince Gblenwon, for the construction of an official office space for the association.

Despite the facility’s completion, conflicts persist between association members and former president Prince Gblenwon over his decision to rent out the three rooms. They’ve also accused him of not providing a financial account for the rent collected from the current tenants occupying the premises, as well as failing to account for the funds provided by the former President.

“The ten thousand US dollars President Weah gave Prince Gblenwon was to build our disabled center,” Cooper M. Gaye said. He added, “After he built the house, the balance that was left, he never called us to a meeting to say how much was left, he even went ahead and put the rental in the house.”

The building comprises three bedrooms, an internal bathroom, and a conference room with the capacity to accommodate approximately one hundred individuals.

The office was built in 2020 with the aim of uniting individuals with disabilities across Karnplay. It serves as a hub for networking, planning, and implementing activities crucial to their progress. Additionally, it provides a platform for sharing challenges and engaging with relevant authorities to find amicable solutions.

Following the conclusion of construction, members of the disabled community have consistently voiced their discontent regarding Prince Gblenwon’s failure to provide a comprehensive financial report detailing the actual expenses incurred during the project.

The aggrieved members of the association informed this publication that all three rooms in the building are presently rented out to tenants. They further stated that the tenants have declined to vacate the premises until the duration for which they have paid is fulfilled.

Members have accused Prince Gblenwon of working in isolation of the disabled community and pocketing money that is intended for the development of the association.

“Our dissatisfaction is that Prince can do things on his own, without informing us. He can take the money and use it on his account without telling us.” Cooper Gaye lamented.

“My dissatisfaction is, I want for the president (Joseph Boakai) to tell our leaders to get the renters out from our office.” Zaye Teah, another member of the disabled community in the area told this paper.

Zaye and other concerned members have argued that due to the occupancy by tenants, association members are limited to utilizing only the conference room, where they occasionally convene to discuss association-related affairs. She characterized this situation as “embarrassing,” hindering the organization’s seamless functioning.

When approached for comment, the President of the disabled community, Prince Gblenwon, dismissed the claims made by the aggrieved members, labeling them as mere attempts to undermine him. He asserted to this publication that, to the best of his knowledge, the $10,000 provided by former President Weah for the construction of the disabled community office was utilized as intended.

“At the time that we were not educated about the issue of receipts, we did the buying of the materials from one place to another, so it was not planned.”

“What I can say is that, the money was used for the intended purpose, but where it went, I cannot talk about it. What I know is that it was used for the building.” Gblenwon told the reporter.

When questioned about the current tenants occupying the premises, Gblenwon replied that he opted to rent out the house because association members were not maintaining cleanliness around the building.

“Actually, the building was not meant for renting, but what made me do that is, when the building was erected, my disabled community members were not coming to clean the surrounding of the building,” Prince Gblenwon Said.

He continued, “I am the leader and at the time I was suffering, I decided that, the students who came to me and asked me to be in the house, I told them that I had been suffering for a long time, so I would not be a victim after undertaking this kind of project. So, that’s how I told them to find me ‘small thing’ to be here and clean this place.”

Gblenwon informed the reporter that each tenant occupying the three-room unit paid $LD 250 per month, and he had only collected six months’ worth of payments since last year. He asserted that since collecting the six-month payment from the renters in 2023, he has not received any further payments.

“From last year up to the present, the money they gave me for six months, I have not asked them for anything more because they (the renters) are taking care of the area.”

Prince Gblenwon, who neither confirmed nor denied failing to provide a financial report to the organization regarding the construction work and renting out the building intended for use as functional office space and a center for the disabled community, could only caution aggrieved members of his disabled community to refrain from tarnishing his reputation.

This story is produced by FeJAL Mentorship Fellow, through the support of Internews USAID, Year 3 Media Activity Reporting Program. The funder has no say in the story content.