In Summary:
-
Shine Liberia claimed that the University of Liberia received a total of US$42.5 million in the FY2026 Budget, including a US$2 million allocation from the Supplementary Budget for the purchase of school buses.
-
A review of the FY2026 Approved National Budget found that the University of Liberia and related programs received approximately US$40.5 million, while the US$2 million in the Supplementary Budget was allocated to the National Transit Authority to procure buses for the University of Liberia, the National Council of Chiefs and Elders, and Rural Women Organizations.
-
Therefore, the claim that the University of Liberia alone received US$42.5 million, including US$2 million for its buses, is incorrect.
On June 16, a blog, Shine Liberia, posted on Facebook, claiming that the University of Liberia (UL) received a total of US$42.5 million in FY2026, including the allocation from the FY2026 Supplementary Budget.
Report By: Annitta N. Kollie – LVL Fact-checker
The post further claimed that US$2 million in the supplementary budget was allocated to the University of Liberia for the purchase of school buses.
Shine Liberia made this claim following a series of protests by students over logistical issues they are enduring on the university campus.
The Claim
Shine Liberia’s exact post: “UL 42.5 million budget, there should be absolutely no reason why anyone at the University of Liberia should protest for logistics if there’s serious administrative leadership in Place.”
Rating Justification
To verify the claim, we reviewed both the FY2026 Approved National Budget and the FY2026 Supplementary Budget.
Our review found that the FY2026 Approved Budget allocates the following amounts to the University of Liberia:
Transfer to UL – US$30,983,684, Transfer to Dogliotti College of Medicine – US$1,413,600, Tuition-Free Policy – US$1,840,000, and Public Sector Investment Plan (PSIP) – US$6,350,000.
Together, these allocations amount to US$40,587,284, or approximately US$40.5 million, in the FY2026 Approved Budget.
We also reviewed the FY2026 Supplementary Budget and found a US$2 million appropriation to the National Transit Authority for the purchase of buses for the University of Liberia, the National Council of Chiefs and Elders, and Rural Women Organizations, and not the UL alone, as claimed in the post.
According to Shine Liberia’s post, the allocation comprised: Transfer to UL – US$30.9 million, Transfer to Dogliotti College of Medicine – US$1.4 million, Tuition-Free Policy – US$1.8 million, Public Sector Investment Plan (PSIP) – US$6.3 million, and New Buses for UL – US$2 million (from the FY2026 Supplementary Budget).
Conclusion
Based on our review of the FY2026 Approved National Budget and the FY2026 Supplementary Budget, we conclude that Shine Liberia’s claim that the University of Liberia received approximately US$42.5 million in combined budgetary allocations is INCORRECT.
The FY2026 Budget allocates US$40.5 million to the University of Liberia. The US$2 million allocation in the Supplementary budget goes towards the procurement of buses for the University of Liberia, the National Council of Chiefs and Elders, and Rural Women Organizations. The National Transit Authority will spearhead the procurement of the buses and not the University of Liberia.
