As She Welcomes Yellow Machines In Grand Kru County
“I’m not a supporter of Boakai. I’m not a supporter of Weah. But our county, Grand Kru, has suffered for too long, and I should appreciate President Joseph Boakai for these machines.”
By Emmanuel Koffa
GBLEBO, Grand Kru< Liberia— For 80-year-old Martha Heah of Gblebo, the arrival of 15 pieces of yellow earth-moving equipment in Grand Kru County is less about politics and more about whether the younger generation will finally experience the development that has eluded the county for decades.
Recently, the Liberian government of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai brought into the country 285 yellow machines from China through a credit arrangement with a local bank in Monrovia and the consignment is worth millions of United States dollars.
In February this year, the President announced the establishment of the Yellow Machines Board of Authority (YMBOA), appointing former Defense Minister Brownie J. Samukai as Executive Chairperson of its Coordinating Committee. Liberia’s Controversial Yellow Machines Now Have Gov’t Agency, With Ex-Defense Min. Samukai Heading – News Public Trust
Speaking following the arrival of the earth-moving equipment assigned to Grand Kru County, Madam Heah said Grand Kru residents have endured hardship for too long, particularly because of poor roads and limited infrastructure.
With emotion in her voice, she told a local journalist:
“My son, you’re also working with the radio people, and you can see what this President is doing. It is because of the young people. I have eaten 70 percent of my future. We have suffered for too long.”
Madam Heah was however, careful not to frame her remarks as political support for President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.
“I’m not a supporter of Boakai. I’m not a supporter of Weah. But our county, Grand Kru, has suffered for too long, and I should appreciate President Joseph Boakai for these machines.”
Her remarks offer a striking perspective from a generation that has spent decades watching Grand Kru struggle with road connectivity and other development challenges.
At 80, Madam Heah said she has already lived through much of the county’s difficult past. Her hope is now directed toward younger Grand Kru residents, who she believes deserve better opportunities and infrastructure.
The arrival of the machines has consequently generated expectations among residents that the equipment will be deployed effectively to tackle some of the county’s most difficult road sections and improve access between communities.
For many residents, the excitement will ultimately be measured not by the number of machines that arrived, but by the roads they repair, the communities they reach and the lives they improve.
Madam Heah’s message is therefore bigger than party politics: Grand Kru has waited for development for too long, and the next generation should not be condemned to inherit the same hardships.