ZOWIENTA, Bong County – As frustration continues to mount over a prolonged electricity blackout affecting Zowienta and surrounding communities, the Chief Executive Officer of Menina Resort, William F. Kotee, has formally petitioned the management of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) to urgently intervene and restore power to the area.
In a strongly worded communication addressed to LEC Managing Director Mohammed M. Sherif, Kotee described the situation as a “severe and ongoing electricity crisis” that has plunged communities from Zowienta in District #1, Bong County, into total darkness for the past two months.
According to Kotee, the prolonged outage has inflicted serious economic hardship on residents and business owners, many of whom are struggling to survive due to the high cost of operating generators. He also warned that the absence of electricity and street lighting has increased security concerns across affected communities.
Kotee blamed the continued blackout on the failure of Jungle Energy Power (JEP), the company responsible for power distribution and maintenance in Bong County under a public-private partnership arrangement.
“Their continued inaction and lack of maintenance have left the grid completely non-functional for our region,” Kotee stated in his letter, while urging LEC to immediately assess the damaged transmission lines and transformers and compel JEP to restore electricity without further delay.
The appeal comes amid growing public anger and threats of mass protest action by residents and business owners in Zowienta and neighboring towns. Several citizens have recently appeared on radio stations across Bong County, vowing to stage demonstrations against JEP if the situation remains unresolved.
It can be recalled that the Government of Liberia electrified Zowienta and surrounding communities in February this year through the West African Power Pool project. Residents, however, say the excitement was short-lived.
According to community members including Arthur Keyee, Jerry Kollie, Robertson Cooper, and others, electricity was available for only about two weeks before the area was plunged back into darkness.
The residents disclosed that many households and businesses were required to purchase electricity credits ranging from US$15, believing they would finally enjoy stable power for the first time.
“We were happy because this was the first time our community had electricity. Many of us spent our hard-earned money to recharge our meters, but now we have been left in darkness for months,” one resident lamented.
When contacted, Jungle Energy Power General Manager Aleyou Keita acknowledged the outage but insisted that the problem is beyond the company’s operational control.
Keita explained that the affected communities are connected to a regional transmission line linking Monrovia, Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire, making the issue a matter for the Liberia Electricity Corporation.
“This is a national concern. We have already informed LEC about the problem and are currently awaiting their intervention,” Keita said.
Kotee, who was among local business leaders that celebrated the electrification of Zowienta in February, is now leading calls for urgent action to prevent further economic losses and social hardship.
His decision to formally engage LEC has been widely welcomed by residents, many of whom see the move as a significant step toward addressing a crisis that has left thousands of people without electricity for more than two months.
Meanwhile, pressure continues to build on JEP and LEC as residents insist they will proceed with protest actions if immediate steps are not taken to restore power to Zowienta and surrounding communities.
