Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence
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Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence (born 2 July 1968) is a Liberian politician who has served as President Pro Tempore of the country's senate since January 2024. She is the leader of the opposition Liberty Party.
Nyonblee Karnga was born on 2 July 1968[1] and raised in Grand Bassa County, Liberia,[2] growing up during the civil wars.[3] Her father, Abba G. Karnga, was the presiding bishop of the World Wide Mission of Liberia and her mother was an educator and gospel singer.[2][4] She has 12 siblings.[5] She has a degree in business management from the University of Liberia and an MBA from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania in the United States.[2]
In October 2024, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion University awarded Karnga-Lawrence an honorary Doctorate of Business Administration in recognition of her dedication to Liberia's progress.[6]
Career
Karnga-Lawrence was a public relations manager at the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company before entering politics.[2]
Karnga-Lawrence was elected to the national legislature to represent Grand Bassa County in 2013 following the death of Senator John Whitfield.[7] She was the first female senator from the county and the only one in the senate during her first term.[2] She was then elected to a full term, endorsed by the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), in December 2020.[7][8] Karnga-Lawrence was nicknamed "lioness" and "iron lady of the Senate" for her advocacy for gender equality and social justice.[2][3][5]
Karnga-Lawrence chaired the CPP, a coalition made up of the country's top four opposition parties.[2] She became leader of the Liberty Party in 2017 after the death of the party's founder Charles Brumskine.[7] She chairs the committee on Rules, Order, and Administration and is a member of the Ways, Means, and Finance, Public Accounts, Health and Gender, and Post and Post Telecommunications committees.[5]
In June 2022, Karnga-Lawrence was elected chair of the Women Legislative Caucus, laying out a plan to ensure all women lawmakers were retained after the 2023 elections.[9]
Karnga-Lawrence was proposed as a potential running mate for Unity Party candidate Joseph Boakai in the 2023 presidential elections, and was praised for her decision to support him despite not being selected.[7]
Karnga-Lawrence was elected Pro-Tempore of the Liberian Senate in January 2024 after being nominated for the position by Senator Prince Moye of Bong County.[7] She is the second woman to hold the role after Grace Minor.[3] Karnga-Lawrence has publicly committed herself to "transparency, accountability and responsible governance" as the country continues to reform.[10][11] In August 2024, she attended the Democratic National Convention in Chicago USA as part of the International Leaders Forum (ILF), seeking to give political leaders insights into America's democratic system.[12] In September 2024, she visited Beijing as part of a legislator's forum for friendly exchanges with China.[13] In October 2024, she received criticism from representative Clarence Banks, who suggested she had appointed county leaders based on political loyalty rather than competence.[14]