A deep division has emerged within the family of the late President Samuel Kanyon Doe, as rival statements from two sides of his surviving children lay bare a dispute over benefits, justice, and the public use of the Doe family name.
On August 10, 2025, Veronica Mamie Doe — daughter of the slain former president — sent a 5-page letter to President Joseph Nyumah Boakai, demanding full implementation of a 2019 ECOWAS Court ruling in the family’s favor. She accused successive Liberian administrations of 35 years of “systematic exclusion” and withholding pension benefits owed to the late First Lady, Nancy Bohn Doe.
In the letter, obtained by this newspaper, Ms. Mamie Doe alleged political interference, illegal seizure of family property, and deliberate delays in honoring the ECOWAS judgment. She claimed that more than 15 formal appeals — including six since President Boakai took office — have gone unanswered.
She also raised urgent concerns about her brother, Samuel K. Doe Jr., who she says requires an immediate kidney transplant. According to her, failure to arrange a payment plan by the end of August would force her to take the case to international human rights organizations and Liberia’s foreign partners.
Madam Doe further alleged that a senior government official attempted to link action on the case to a reconciliation with Senator Zoe Emmanuel Pennue, calling the move “manipulative and unjustifiable.”
“Selective justice is no justice at all,” she wrote. “Will you rise as the change you wish to see in Liberia, or will this stain of injustice remain under your watch?”
The Doe Legacy Foundation Pushes Back
Within less than five days, the Samuel K. Doe Legacy Foundation, represented by what it says are 18 of the late president’s surviving biological children, issued a strongly worded statement distancing itself from Ms. Veronica Doe’s letter.
The Foundation accused “a small minority of siblings” of misrepresenting the Doe family, issuing political threats, and pursuing personal gain under the guise of justice.
“These individuals have wrongfully claimed to speak for ‘The Doe Family’ while issuing threats and political ultimatums to His Excellency President Boakai,” the statement read. “Such statements are reckless, unrepresentative, and damaging to the dignity of our father’s legacy.”
Kuly T. Kimba, the Foundation’s spokesperson, emphasized that the group stands for “unity, service, and respect for the nation” — not public confrontation. The statement pledged full support for President Boakai’s peace and reconciliation agenda, adding that the Doe name “is not a weapon for personal gain — it is a legacy to be honored.”
The Foundation, which focuses on education, healthcare, infrastructure, and humanitarian projects, called on the public and media to distinguish between “isolated personal grievances” and the official positions of the Doe Legacy Foundation.
As of press time, the Executive Mansion had not issued an official response to either side.
