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By Stephen G. Fellajuah
Monrovia, Liberia; September 19, 2025 – Former Foreign Minister, D. Maxwell Kemayah, has made a phone-in appearance on Spoon Talk here, once again rejecting and defending himself against sexual harassment claim that has been “hanging over his head” since late 2020.
But his remarks caught the attention of Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon, who reminded the public that the issue remains unresolved and continues to shadow Kemayah’s legacy.
“Well, this is what happens when people fail to do what is simply right today, for posterity tomorrow,” Senator Dillon wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday.
“Five years later, Kemayah is still whining and clarifying by himself and will probably keep clarifying every day! The burden remains on his head, maybe forever,” Dillon added.
When Mr. Kemayah was nominated as Minister of Foreign Affairs in late 2020, a grave claim of sexual harassment was formally alleged against him by a Liberian staffer at the country’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.
At the time, former Maryland County Senator Dan Morais chaired the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, with Senator Dillon serving as a member of the committee.
According to Dillon, he and colleagues, former Rivergee County Senator Conmany B. Wesseh, former Margibi County Senator Oscar Cooper, and Grand Bassa County Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence (now Senate President Pro-Tempore), all pushed for an impartial investigation to guide their confirmation votes.
Their efforts fell on ‘deaf ears’! The regime at the time did everything to frustrate any investigation in the interest of justice and fair play, according to Dillon.
“I publicly alarmed and warned against frustrating the investigation. I reminded that without a credible investigation that would clear Kemayah’s name or prove his guilt, he would live the rest of his life with the allegation and stigma of such allegation for the remainder of his life. My advice and warnings were ignored; in fact, I was branded as ‘enemy’ of (then) Pres. Weah and his regime!”, he noted.
Despite the unresolved allegation, the majority of the Senate voted “YES” to confirm Kemayah. But standing their ground, Senators Wesseh, Cooper, Karnga-Lawrence, and Dillon voted “NO.”
In early 2020, a Liberian staff member named Wynee (Whynee) Cummings Wilson accused Kemayah, then serving as Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN, of sexual harassment.
According to Wilson, on the evening of January 8, 2020, Kemayah invited her into his office, locked the door, and made repeated sexual advances.
She alleges, he said: “You know you want to do it, just give me a kiss, we are all adults here.”
Wilson says she refused, telling Kemayah she viewed him as a father figure and was not interested. She claimed the incident caused her significant emotional distress and triggered a “grand mal seizure,” which left her unconscious for three days and absent from work for nearly a month.
She says she had been employed since September 2019 as a secretary classified as “local staff,” under valid U.S. work authorization, and was being paid through the Liberian Foreign Ministry.
After filing the complaint in September 2020, shortly after Kemayah’s nomination, Wilson claims her salary was stopped, she was removed from the payroll, and denied access to the office. She describes these actions as retaliatory.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has disputed several of Wilson’s claims, asserting she was never formally employed but was instead an “apprentice” allowed to observe and gain experience.
Wilson has pushed back, presenting bank statements, work authorization, and testimony to support her claim that she was a full staff member, not an intern or apprentice.
The timing of the complaint, coming soon after Kemayah’s nomination, sparked debate. Some viewed it as politically motivated, while others, including civil society voices, argued that the claim was serious enough to warrant an immediate independent investigation, regardless of timing.
Kemayah has consistently denied the allegation, branding it a “take-down campaign” orchestrated to destroy his career.
His U.S.-based legal team, Tilem & Associates, labeled the claims as “false, baseless, and unsubstantiated.”
During Kemayah’s confirmation hearing, the allegations were brought up. However, no formal investigation followed. An internal administrative review was reportedly conducted, but its adequacy was widely questioned.
In November 2023, Wilson was allegedly prevented from entering the UN Mission, and the NYPD was called. She claimed Kemayah ordered the incident.
That same month, Deputy Foreign Minister Henry B. Fahnbulleh was dismissed, he believes for attempting to intervene in the case.
To date, no court or tribunal has ruled on the veracity of the allegation. As a result, the matter remains unresolved, lingering in the public eye, and in the words of Senator Dillon, “the burden remains on his head, maybe forever.” Editing by Jonathan Browne
