Falling LEC Tension Pole Puts Citizens' Safety at Risk in Kpanwen, Lower Johnsonville

Johnsonville, Liberia: Residents of Kpanwen Community in Lower Johnsonville, Montserrado County, are demanding the immediate replacement of a falling tension-wire pole belonging to the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) in their area.

Residents have alarmed fear over their safety in relation to the falling LEC tension pole, saying its condition poses a security threat to the environment.

Speaking to K-News, one of the residents, Nelson Yanrue, a community bloc leader, said they have notified the Liberia Electricity Corporation about the situation on several occasions, but to no avail.

He stated that the pole experienced a broken mark from the bottom in early 2025. Yanrue noted that the hanging pole had left power lines nearly leveled with the roofs of some houses in the area.

He stressed that Kpanwen Community holds huge inhabitants and that the falling pole along a feeder road endangers commuters as well as nearby homes.

Citizens want the Liberia Electricity Corporation to swiftly intervene before the potential security threat degenerates into casualties.

"The community leadership has been walking up after issue at the LEC head office, for them to come and make some changes to the poles in our area that are damaged. They have come and promise us, but they have not done anything about it".

"Not only what you see here today, if you enter Bloc E, there are also other poles that are hanging almost to the ground. These things are dangerous for our people, these poles can fall at any time and could cause casualties".

"We want the government through the LEC to swiftly address our plights. They should not wait for something else to happen they can come over", Nelson Yanrue asserted.

The Kpanwen Community residents believe the delay of the LEC to replace the pole underscores lapses in its response mechanism to address issues related to customer services.

They maintained that the Corporation has only exerted energy on power theft, paying less attention to other issues, including those that threaten costumers safety.

However, citizens have expressed their intent to stage a protest should the Liberia Electricity Corporation fail to do the needful in the soonest possible time.

"This is a disservice. If the relevant authority will not see the need to come to our aid, we have no option, but to stage a protest", they intoned.