…As they lose in the High Court

February 16, 2017 By Hassan Gbassay Koroma

Justice Desmond Babatunde Edwards yesterday ruled against the plaintiffs who had sought to stop lower level, regional and sectional elections of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) from going ahead as scheduled and to order fresh elections in 39 constituencies where alleged irregularities had taken place.

But lawyer for the plaintiffs, Sulaiman Banja Tejan-Sie, has promised to appeal the judgement.

Observers are of the view that the High Court ruling would have a negative impact on the communiqué signed by all flagbearer aspirants of the SLPP last week, especially if the threat to appeal the discussion is followed through.

While addressing journalists yesterday after judgement was handed down, Tejan-sei told journalists that they were not satisfied and that they were going to appeal.

He described the day as ‘sad for the justice system in the country’ as according to him, the rule of law and democracy were being threatened, adding that the way and manner in which the judiciary dispenses justice in the country was unsatisfactory.

He called on politicians to reform the judiciary in order that democracy should take root in the country.

Tejan-Sie, who until recently was scribe of the main opposition party, opined that in the past years politically sensitive matters taken to court have not been decided justly, adding that the court has failed to ‘solidify justice in the country’.

“I strongly believe that what the politicians want them [judges] to do is what they are doing. That is not good for our democracy. I am not satisfied with the ruling and my clients have asked me to appeal the judgment,” he said.

Earlier, the judge told the court that he had considered the submissions of the plaintiffs and defendants, perused documents and depositions put forward by both sides in respect of the injunction and substantive matter.

He said the plaintiffs’ argument on rules and regulations to follow in conducting lower level elections were not supported by evidence, and that certain documents presented by the plaintiff’s lawyer were unsigned and undated.

He thus refused all the eleven prayers sought by the plaintiffs and ordered that each party to the litigation bear their respective cost.

Lawyer Tejan-Sei had submitted in his argument that supervisors of the lower level elections shouldn’t have used rules and regulations published in the gazette on 29th January, 2016 but the one that was amended on 11th May of the same year the Political Parties Registration Commission and the ten-man committee of the SLPP.

But the judge disagreed with him on the grounds that the plaintiff had failed to furnish the court with relevant documents to support their argument.

The plaintiff in the matter were Alusine Bangura, Alex Kargbo and Victor Sheriff, who had filed their joint suit against the party’s National Chairman and Leader, Chief Bai Shebora Sumano Kapen,  Secretary General, Ambassador Alie Badara Kamara and the four Vice Regional Chairpersons who supervised the conduct of the 10th December, 2015 lower level elections.

…NEW demands explanation

February 16, 2017 By Mohamed Massaquoi

The National Election Watch ( NEW) has said that despite applauding the announcement of 7th March, 2018 as the date for local council and parliamentary elections by President Ernest Bai Koroma in his address to the nation and subsequent proclamation of presidential election on the same date by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) on 14th February, 2017, they were concerned about the constitutionality of the decision taken by the president, thus calling on the Chief Electoral Commissioner for an explanation.

NEW made the demand at a press conference held yesterday at their headquarters in Freetown, where the organisation’s chairperson, Mrs. Marcella Samba-Sesay said both announcement of the date were tools for democratic accountability and renewal.

She, however, noted that the press statement on the announcement of date for presidential election by the Chief Electoral Commissioner exceeded the 90 day period stipulated by the Public Elections Act 2012, section 43, subsection 3(b)  of which states that: “in any other case, the Electoral Commission may in the proclamation referred to in subsection (2) fix the actual date of the election, the date not been earlier than thirty days and not later than sixty days before the date appointed for voting in elections.”

She said: “NEW is therefore calling on NEC, mandated by the Constitution, to explain to the citizens why the extension of the date for presidential elections beyond the 23rd February 2018. Furthermore, the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, Section II, Article 2, Subsection 2 on Elections states ‘all the elections shall be organised on the dates or at periods fixed by the constitution or the electoral laws.’’

She continued that “the registration of voters, update and revision of the voters register shall be conducted not later than six months before an election or referendum, as the case may be. NEW sees this as not feasible to be accommodated in an already tight elections calendar and therefore, recommends deferring the conduct of the referendum after 2018 electoral cycle,” she said.

She added that they acknowledged and endorsed the caution given by the President on campaigning, which, however, has been going on by political parties and individuals, and called on NEC and the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) to ensure compliance with the rules on campaigning.

It could be recalled that NEW had urged NEC and the office of the president to release a specific date for the conduct of the 2018 general elections on the grounds that mechanisms needed to be put in place for proper monitoring of the process.

“NEW is concerned that the undue delay in stating the actual election date does not create a level playing field in the electoral arena. We are concerned that the electoral calendar is under potential threat of not being respected due to government’s current engagement with re- districting,” the civil society outfit on election noted.

Political party leaders also joined the debate for the president and NEC to do  same. In his annual Christmas and New Year Message to the Nation, flagbearer aspirant of the main opposition SLPP, Brig. (Rtd.) Julius Maada Bio, called on NEC “to declare, without further delay, the specific date that the Presidential and Parliamentary elections will be conducted in February, 2018”.

He continued: “I would like to remind the Chief Electoral Commissioner and the President, both of whom have an obligation by law to hold consultation in setting the date for the elections…That any further delay will begin to undermine the credibility of the electoral process for the February 2018 elections.”

The electoral process started since last year when the National Electoral Commission in collaboration with stakeholders participated in the demarcation of Constituency and Ward Boundaries in preparation for the conduct of Local Government, Parliamentary and Presidential Elections in Sierra Leone in 2018.

February 16, 2017

The 2017 World Development Report (WDR), a yearly World Bank flagship report, was launched in Freetown on Thursday, February 9. This year’s report, Governance and the Law, sheds light on how a better understanding of governance can bring about more effective policy interventions to achieve sustainable improvements in development outcomes.

The report, based on extensive research and consultations conducted in many countries over the past 18 months, draws attention to the importance of commitment, coordination, and cooperation as the three core functions needed to ensure that policies yield their desired outcomes. It finds that functions are often difficult to achieve because certain groups in society who gain from the status quo may be powerful enough to resist the reforms that are needed to break the political equilibrium. It also offers a helpful framework for approaching and resolving the challenges faced by development partners, and specifically explores how policies for security, growth, and equity can be made more effective by addressing the underlying drivers of governance.

Lead Governance Specialist, World Bank, Deborah Isser, one of the authors of the report, presented the key findings of the document, which examines the gap between development policies and intended results. The report explores how unequal distribution of power in a society interferes with policy effectiveness. Power asymmetries help explain, for example, why model anti-corruption laws and agencies often fail to curb corruption, why decentralization does not always improve municipal services; or why well-crafted fiscal policies may not reduce volatility and generate long-term savings.

The report further notes that when policies and technical solutions fail to achieve intended outcomes, institutional capacity often takes the blame. However, it finds that countries and donors need to think more broadly to improve governance so that policies succeed. It defines better governance as the process through which state and non-state groups interact to design and implement policies, working within a set of formal and informal rules that are shaped by power.

According to the report, unequal distribution of power can lead to the exclusion of groups and people from the rewards and gains of policy engagement, capture of policies to serve narrow interests, and clientelist relations that favor short term private goods over long term public goods. Yet meaningful change is possible with the engagement and interaction of citizens, through coalitions to change the incentives of those who make decisions; elites, through agreements among decision makers to restrict their own power; and the international community, through indirect influence to change the relative power of domestic reformers.

The presentation was followed by discussions led by the Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Ady Macauley, and a representative from the Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA), Francis Ben Kaifala.

ACC boss Macauley observed that most times laws and policies are put in place without engaging with the people who are going to make them work and those they will affect. This, he said, sometimes makes people not cooperate with such laws and policies as they do not regard them as legitimate.

He said people, as drivers of change, need to be engaged at all levels of policy formulation and that the approach should be from the top to the bottom. He frowned at the practice of donors crafting policies which often do not reflect the practical realities on the ground, and therefore called for a change of attitudes on the part of the international community as such policies being foisted on the government often fail.

Francis Ben Kaifala from the SLBA said his association considered the report as a good diagnosis of the problems besetting policy formulation and implementation in Sierra Leone. He said policies should not be formulated with the focus that they will serve only for the term of the government in power. He said the report raises serious governance issues, which the government and all other actors must be committed to address.

He also emphasized the point that people for whom policies and laws are made must be involved in their formulation so as to ensure compliance with them.

Mrs. Memunatu Pratt of the Peace and Conflict Studies Department at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, said social norms and the political patronage system sometimes affect the implementation of policies, and called for proper management of public policies to ensure their effectiveness and results. She said suspicion and lack of trust lead to policy failure.

“We need to take this discussion to civil society, academia, and to the local councils and see how we can work with the government to ensure laws and policies work in the interest of the population,” she urged. “We need to look at what political processes affect policy implementation and try to correct them.”

Senior Deputy Financial Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, Prince E.O. Cole, described the report as an excellent piece of work by the World Bank which captures all issues relating to policy formulation, and how such policies can be effectively implemented.

He said the ministry was honored to have hosted the launching of the report and hoped its contents will be effectively utilized by both state and non-state actors to initiate a positive change in policy formulation and implementation regime.

World Bank Country Manager, Parminder Brar, observed: “The report highlights one fundamental issue – viz. that many countries have wonderful laws in their books but there is a major disconnect when it comes to implementation. This is due to the persons who are benefitting from the status quo. The question is: what needs to be done? Country ownership of reforms is absolutely critical. Decision makers in the country need to build on the lessons learnt from their successes and change incentive structures to move the reform agenda forward.

February 16, 2017 By Regina Pratt

A new group of members belonging to the ruling All peoples Congress (APC) party, have come together to form an organisation called “APC 4 life” which will be launched in March 2017, at the Brima Attouga Stadium, eastern Freetown.

President of the newly established organisation, Ibrahim Bundu, in an interview with Concord Times, said the organisation was a combination of youth and business people, who formed the greater majority of the APC grassroots.

“The initiative came as a result of our visit to Sanda in the Port Loko district in 2015 to canvass support for the APC party. Most of the supporters at that time were not happy with the snail-pace of development in their town. We encouraged them to come out and register so as to enable them vote in the coming 2018 general elections in the country,” he recalled.

“Some of the people we spoke to were aggrieved and that they wanted to join other political parties. We held a meeting and told them that we were forming an organisation that should encourage people to stay in the APC party,” he said, adding that some of the people relied on the information they received from the opposition parties, which, he said were sometimes ‘not correct.’

He further said that they wanted to use their  newly established organisation to sensitise their members on the development strides of President Ernest Koroma and also  stress on the importance of the national registration about to take place soonest.

He disclosed that they have members in the North/Western region and some districts in the Southern regions of the country.

Asked about their source of revenue to run the affairs of the organisation, he said that they have been getting financial and moral support from the APC Members of Parliament (MPs), Ministers, and other well-wishers including 27 zonal executives.

 February 21, 2017 Mr.Bukar Tijani

The Assistant Director General and Regional Representative for Africa of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Bukar Tijani and entourage will visit Sierra Leone today, Tuesday, 21 February 2017.

Tijani would  be in Freetown to attend the 13^th regional meeting of the African Caribbean Pacific -European Union (ACP-EU) Joint Parliamentary Assembly (West Africa) which is to be held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Freetown from 22 to 24 February, 2017.

The (ACP-EU) Joint Parliamentary Assembly will bring together 16 JPA parliamentarians from national parliaments of the West Africa region and an equal number of JPA Members from the European Parliament.

The meeting will be an opportunity for an exchange of views on a number of issues that are of specific interest to the region, including regional integration and cooperation; sustainable exploitation of natural resources, conservation and ecosystem diversity; the security situation in the Sahel and piracy; challenges of irregular migration, including people smuggling and trafficking; the recovery process of the Ebola affected countries and the traceability of EU funding; the rise of potential to contribute to sustainable and inclusive growth; and the rise of entrepreneurship in the region.

Together with the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Professor Patrick Monty Jones and other partners in the food and nutrition security sector, Mr. Tijani will on Thursday, 23 February, 2017 launch the Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in Africa 2016 based on the theme, The Challenges of Building Resilience to Shocks and Stresses.

This publication provides an overview of key trends on food security and nutrition in the Africa region and includes a new analytical tool – Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) – to help enhance the understanding of food security and nutritional status. This tool will be used to monitor progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 2.1 (i.e. by 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round).

In line with this year’s theme, an entire section of the publication focuses on issues and response mechanisms for building resilience to shocks related to food security and nutrition in the context of climate change and conflicts in Africa.

The FAO Assistant Director General and Regional Representative for Africa will also visit key project sites in the rural communities to assess the Organization’s implementation and interact with stakeholders and beneficiaries.

He is expected to depart Sierra Leone on Saturday, 25 February 2017.

‘The only answer to our problems is working harder’

February 21, 2017 By Ahmed Sahid Nasralla (De Monk)

Lucy C. F. Gondor has been unanimously re-elected President of the Kailahun Women in Governance Network (KWiGN) at the network’s Annual Reflections Meeting (ARM) on Valentine’s Day 14th February 2017 at the Kailahun District Youth Council Hall, Luawa, Kailahun.

The former teacher polled 23 out of the 24 delegate votes.

Lucy, who was first elected in 2013, will now lead the organization for the next two years, which will cover the forthcoming National Parliamentary, District Council and Presidential Elections in March 2018.

The former school teacher, and wife of the Paramount Chief of Upper Bambara Chiefdom PC Gondor, dedicated her re-election victory to all the women of the network, Kailahun District and Sierra Leone as a whole.

“This victory is a victory for all women, and I congratulate all of you,” said Lucy with humility.

To her colleagues who were also elected into new positions she had this to say: “Your new positions come with additional responsibilities, commitment and sacrifice. The only solution to our problems is working harder as a team.”

Before her re-election, Lucy catalogued her achievements and challenges in her first term in office. She recalled that one of the first things she did as President of KWIGN was to visit all 14 chiefdoms in the District and held talks with Zonal Executives to have a fair understanding of the people she would be working with and what their strengths and challenges were.

Under her leadership she said KWiGN has been recognized far and wide for their sustained advocacy on behalf of the women and girls of Kailahun District and Sierra Leone.

She talked about the economic empowerment of the vast majority of women through the provision of micro-finance. Over 3000 women across 11 chiefdoms in Kailahun are benefiting from the scheme.

She also talked about political empowerment with Kailahun District boasting 12 women councilors and two female Members of Parliament, and women occupying leadership positions in the District Council and its various committees.

In the area of access to justice, she said through their sustained advocacy the district now has a resident magistrate. She highlighted partnership with political parties and traditional leaders, and the institution of bye-laws to protect girls and women against SGBV cases (which had been rampant in the district).

In the area of management of finance, accountability and transparency, she said the network now has an account with the Credit Union and Ecobank and these accounts are audited regularly.

She further mentioned about support they provided to Ebola survivors and orphans, some of whom have been adopted by members of the network.

Other notable achievements included the professional development of members of the network who can now boldly speak in public gatherings and contribute meaningfully in essential dialogues, weekly radio programs educating people on gender and women issues, and advocacy activities at both local and national levels.

Lucy noted she would not have achieved all these and more without the full support and commitment of her Executive and supporting partners, traditional leaders, the Police and the media.

However, she said cultural and religious norms, which limit women’s role to the kitchen and home to serve their husbands, still pose a threat to their vision of achieving equality for women at all levels.

“In this age our men still have reserved roles for women which always keep them in the back seat. This mindset has to change,” said Lucy.

Other challenges she mentioned included personality conflict among women, the Pull Her Down syndrome and disunity among women during national elections, tribalism, very poor road network across the district hindering their smooth movement from chiefdom to chiefdom, poor internet connectivity and mobile network, and lack of adequate funding to support their programs.

Also re-elected with the same votes tally as Lucy’s was the Secretary General, Theresa Satta Garber. Theresa said the reward for good work is always positive.

“This is a manifestation of the trust and confidence reposed on us by our colleague women,” she said proudly.

The ARM was witnessed by supporting partners Christian Aid Sierra Leone and SEND Sierra Leone, traditional and religious leaders, the Police and representatives of Civil Society Organisations.

Country Director for Christian Aid Sierra Leone, Jeanne Kamara, said she has seen the journey of the network and the growth that has taken place, and ‘it makes me proud and privileged to be part of all this’.

She said KWiGN is an exemplary project that must be emulated by other regions.

“95% of the world’s resources are controlled by only 5% of the people. Poverty is man-made and that is because we are greedy. If resources are distributed fairly and evenly then poverty will not be as widespread as it is today,” said Jeanne.

She admonished the network to begin to move towards self-sustainability.

“Look around you for the resources and start moving away from dependency on donor funding. These funds are not there forever. So sustainability is a key. But there are so many resources you can pull together if you look around yourselves and your communities. Resources don’t always have to be finance only,” advised Jeanne.

She added: “You have achieved great things in the space of five years, but there’s more work to be done. We (Christian Aid) will accompany you on this journey.”

The Country Director of SEND Sierra Leone, the organization behind the formation of KWiGN, said they are proud as Kailahun is the only district with a well-organised grassroots women group fighting for justice and equality for all.

“For the past five years, the Kailahun Women in Governance Network has achieved more than enough. The existence of the Network itself is one of them. So we have a lot to say about success, but what kind of success is it? Where do we want to be? Are we there yet? Certainly not!  We have a long way to go,” said Joseph Ayamga, adding that they must reach out to the “70% of women who live in the rural villages who are subjected to cultural and traditional practices that rob them of their dignity to live responsive and responsible lives to contribute to the progress of a responsive and responsible nation”.

Joseph said there are still many women out there who are not productively engaged.

“They work so hard and benefit less from their labour. They take care of children and shape their attitudes, principles and values, but who are often less appreciated and celebrated for their contributions. Their efforts hold our society together and make it peaceful, but they are considered less powerful. And so as you travel across rural communities in Kailahun, you see that the woman has the face of poverty. She bears the burden of this unequal society.  So how come that these women who add so much value to society are not valued as such? Inequality and marginalization is unacceptable in a responsible society,” he said.

In the 2007 national elections Kailahun District elected seven women as Councillors; in 2012 the number rose to 12 and two Members of Parliament. In 2018 the women of Kailahun are aspiring to make it rhyme with 18 Councilors and eight MPs.

And their slogan now is: 18-8-2018.

February 22, 2017 By Patrick Jaiah Kamara

The Nation Election Watch (NEW) has expressed dissatisfaction over the tensions that erupted in and around the polling centres at the just concluded by-election in Constituency 066, Tonkolili district, where the All Peoples Congress candidate, Rosemarie Bangura, emerged winner.

In a press statement issued yesterday, NEW stated that the tensions in those polling centres were as a result of the presence of politicians of both the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), and government officials parading the polling environs with their official vehicles in absolute contravention of Public Elections Act 2012, which, they said stipulates that only accredited persons have right to be in that environment.

“Before the closure of polls, tensions were mounting in some parts of Bumbuna Township, resulting to violence where two vehicles chased the vehicle of a politician. At Manikalia Street, youth assaulted a female party agent and threw her in the gutter, but was later rescued by the police. NEW is seriously concerned about the level of violence still taking place during Bye elections and wish to call on the police that this is happening with impunity. NEW wishes to make it abundantly clear to the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) that they will be held accountable for their failure to respond to such matters,” the release stated.

NEW also raised serious apprehension on the issue of secrecy of the votes, since NEC failed to provide voter screens in almost all the 90 polling stations across the constituency, which posed serious challenge for voters to cast their votes secretly.

 According to them, NEC substituted a file folder for voter screen which they claimed  endangered the secrecy of voting and gave confidence to some polling staff to interfere with the voting process especially, Presiding Officers talking to voters whilst they were about to cast their ballots.

The release stated that NEC staff-both full and part-time should exhibit professionalism at all times in the conduct of Elections to guarantee public confidence.

The release further stated that polling stations were opened on time but noted that there was a low voter turnout, mostly associated with low voter education and voter apathy, thus calling on NEC to put more efforts in voter education for future by-elections.

NEW, which deployed 31 observers in Tonkolili district, is a coalition of local and international organisations in Sierra Leone with a common objective of supporting free and fair elections.

President Koroma cautions RSLAF

February 22, 2017 By Hassan Gbassay Koroma

 President Ernest Bai Koroma, Commander -In-Chief of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) and Minister of Defense, has during the Armed Forces Day celebration, warned members of the armed force against complacency and cautioned them to  refrain from any act that could bring back the bad memories of the country’s brutal and dark past.

He sounded the warning on Saturday, 18th February, 2017 during the ceremony at the Wilberforce Barracks Hockey Pitch.

He stated that the Armed Forces Day was a spectacular landmark day set aside each year to reflect on the role of the RSLAF to see how they could perform better.

He said the story of RSLAF was a bitter-sweet affair until quite recently when the they engaged in an overall transformation through enhanced and advanced training of all units, and that in the past recent years, the RSLAF, due to its heightened training, coupled with discipline and professionalism, has been a better and more focused military institution which was now contributing greatly to keeping the peace in countries such as Sudan, Somalia, Mali, Haiti, Lebanon and Nepal.

 He disclosed that  the country currently has two battalions on standby for use by the United Nations for peace keeping missions, adding that all that remained  now was to fully equip them with the requisite equipment and logistic, so that they would be better prepared to take up international duty when called upon to do so.

He commended all officers and other ranks for maintaining discipline, loyalty and for not doing anything that has the potential to derail all the good work which has put the RSLAF on the international spotlight as a professional military.

He further noted that he was satisfied that the RSLAF laid premium on education and commended them for introducing French Language into the curriculum of all ranks, thus praising  them for staying neutral during elections and for their high discipline, service to the nation and for their loyalty.

“My government is very serious about making the RSLAF better .That is why I am ensuring that work on the first phase of the Kambia Military Barracks will soon commence, while the Gondama and Wilberforce barracks phase two programme are underway,” he said.

He also presented meritorious awards for long service, dedication; professional among other attributes to ten nominees.

Speaking earlier, Head of Media and Public Relations for the RSLAF, Colonel Usman Turay, said the day was set aside to celebrate men and women in the Army, both living and dead, that had sacrificed to serve the nation.

He said the RSLAF has contributed greatly to the development of the country, as they have fought in various countries including in the Economic Community of West African States’ Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) in Liberia and also in the 11 years civil war in the country.

He said they have participated in peace keeping operations in the People’s Democratic of Congo, Sudan and recently in Somalia.

Father allegedly rapes daughter to death

February 22, 2017 By Hawa Amara

One Saidu Kamara was yesterday remanded at the Male Correctional Centre on Pademba Road for allegedly raping to death his 11-year-old daughter, Aminata Kamara.

The accused was arraigned at the Freetown Magistrates’ Court No. 1 presided over by Magistrate Dr. Abou Bhakarr Binneh-Kamara on a count’s charge of murder, contrary to law.

The charge sheet stated that on Sunday, December 25, 2016, at No.3 Robert Street, the accused allegedly murdered the victim.

 Police prosecutor, Inspector Hawa Bah, informed the court that her witnesses were present in court but asked for an adjournment in order to have conference with them.

The matter was adjourned to March 1, 2017, for the prosecution to open its case.

In another development in the same court, Dr. Binneh-Kamara also remanded one Abdulai Koroma and Abdulai Kamara at the Male Correctional Centre on Pademba Road for an alleged sexual penetration of a 14-year-old girl.

The accused persons were before the court on two counts of conspiracy and sexual penetration of a child, contrary to law.

In her testimony, the victim identified the first accused (Kamara) as her mother’s cousin and the second (Koroma) as her brother.

She explained that between 1st and 23rd November, 2016, the second accused came to their residence in Lunsar and informed her parent that the first accused wanted to marry her.

She said her parent supported the suggestion made by the second accused and forced her to get married to the first accused.

“My uncle, Pa Alie Kamara, brought me to Freetown with the accused and my Uncle‘s Wife, Sallay Kamara, forced me to sleep with the accused. The first accused then stripped me naked and forcefully had sex with me. I felt pain all over my body and I suffered swollen legs,” she testified.”

 The victim told the court that she later informed her sister about the incident and that they went to the Congo Cross police station, where she made statement and was issued with a medical paper for  examination and treatment at Rainbow Centre.

However, Magistrate Dr. Binneh-Kamara granted the accused persons Le50 million bail and one surety each in like sum, and that surety should produce National Passport and must reside in the Western Area.

Bail should be approved by the Deputy Master and Registrar.

The matter adjourned to 24 February, 2017 for further hearings.

February 22, 2017 By Patrick Jaiah Kamara

Project Coordination at the Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law (CARL), Prince Bull, yesterday said about 50% of the sexual offences cases charged to court were dismissed as a result of improper medical report.

Bull said sexual victims in Makeni, the home town of President Koroma, were asked to pay a certain amount of money before they could be  examined and treated, which ,he said, was contrary to the Sexual Offences Act of 2012.

He said his organisation was funded by TROCARE to increase women’s access to justice in Makeni, Bombali district.

“We are told during our investigation that sexual victims do pay Le10, 000 or more for pregnancy test, which, we believe should be inclusive of the medical treatment of sexual offences. Paying such amount is in contravention of the Act itself,” he said, noting that they were hoping to move to other parts of the country to ascertain as to whether they share similar same situation.

When asked about their role to ensure that medical practitioners go by the Sexual Offences Act of 2012, the coordinator noted that they intended to engage policy makers, and stakeholders that were particularly responsible for the implementation of laws.

“50% of the sexual offences cases sent to the court in 2014 and 2015 were dismissed based on improper medical report,” he said.

The meeting attracted representatives from media, Family Support Unit, Law Officers Department, and Justice Sector Development Programme (JSDP).

The Deputy Coordinator at JSDP, Bridget Osho, stated that the issue of Gender Based Violence cases being dismissed was appalling, and that such can only be addressed when data collected were taken seriously and presented to government.

She noted that her office will continue to work with government to increase access to justice.

Lawyer Allieu Vandy from Law Officers Department did a presentation on the Sexual Offence Act (SOA) of 2012.

He said Section 39 of SOA stated that medical examination for sexual victims shall be free but noted that much awareness has not been raised on the said section.

He called on Civil Society Organisations to raise ‘dust’ on the said section.

February 22, 2017 By Regina Pratt

A business woman, Madam Mary Boston, who shuttles between Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom, was yesterday granted six hundred million Leones bail after her first appearance before Magistrate Abou Bhakarr Binneh-Kamara presiding at the Magistrates’ Court No 1.

Led in evidence by Inspector Mansaray, the complainant, Mohamed Kamara, introduced himself as a businessman dealing in palm oil.

He told the court that he came in contact with the accused in December, 2014 at the Queen Elizabeth Quay, through a relative, Ramaru Fofanah, who introduced the former to him.

“We discussed about the palm oil sales and the accused told me that the oil cost sixty pounds per Jerry Can in London. The accused even told me that palm oil sells faster in London,” he testified.

The witness informed the court that he and one Solomon Kamara bought 2,090 Jerry Cans of palm oil from Massingbi village and shipped to the accused person in London.

He said Le37, 750, 000 was paid as shipment fees and that he never received feedback from the accused to whom the consignment was sent.

The witness said the accused person was arrested at Lungi and taken to the police station where she admitted that she had entered into a palm oil deal with the complainant but that she had not sold any.

He said the accused later took a u-turn and told the police that she had sold about200 Jerry Cans and that the remaining oil was still stored in London.

“When asked for the money the accused replied that there was no money,” the witness said, adding that the accused was instructed to give one thousand Jerry Cans to Simeon Conteh, a relative of the complainant, who stays in London.

The witness stated that the accused wouldn’t give account of the one thousand and ninety Jerry Cans of palm oil.

According to the statement of offence, the accused in 2014, at No. 7 Samuel Lane Kissy, fraudulently converted into her own use and benefit, certain property, 781 Jerry Cans of palm oil, valued Le414 million, entrusted to her by Mohamed Kamara for sale.

The accused was granted Le600 million bail with one surety in like sum and that surety should be a resident in the western area.

The Magistrate continued that the surety should present a bank statement valued Le300 million to the Master and Registrar of the High Court, who should approve the bail.

Lawyer Ben Kaifala, J Cole, S. Mansaray, S.  B. Mondeh and M. Kpaka, represent the accused, while the matter was prosecuted by Inspector Mansaray.

February 22, 2017 By Joseph S. Margai

Member of Parliament for the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) party, Hon. Karifala Conteh, popularly  referred to a “Hon. Kello” of constituency 98, has on last Saturday, commissioned WASH facilities at the Bottom Oku community, Wellington in the east end of Freetown.

The WASH facilities, which included water well and toilets for both male and female pupils of the Sierra Leone Muslim Primary School, costs about three hundred and forty six million, nine hundred and ninety thousand Leone (Le346,990,000).

In his address to the beneficiaries before commissioning the facilities, Hon. Kello, disclosed that with support from Sierra Leone Brewery Limited, he  facilitated the provision of a water well and the toilet for the pupils and staff of the Sierra Leone Muslim School.

“The WASH facilities are very important for the smooth running of the school. Most times, people accused their leaders of embezzlement but as for me, besides what Sierra Leone Brewery Limited provided, I personally made my own contribution of 12 million Leones to this project,” he said.

He added that he has brought lots of development projects in his constituency and that he has been given him hope that he would be re-elected in the 2018 parliamentary election.

Hon. Kello said before he was elected MP for constituency 98, they were having  interrupted electricity supply, but stated that he has recently facilitated the installation of a transformer at Bowen Street and that the problem has been solved.

Hon. Kello donated a cash of two million Leones (Le2m) to the mosque and staff of the school as a way of motivating the workers of the mission.

Ojo Collier, Corporate Relations Manager, Sierra Leone Brewery Limited, said the WASH facilities for the school were part of a fulfilment of his institution’s corporate social responsibilities.

“Sierra Leone Brewery Limited (SLBL) continues to play a formidable role in the social and economic growth of Sierra Leone. Our corporate social responsibility spans through sports, health care, provision of water and sanitation to communities, and support to education sector. In the last three years, SLBL together with Heineken Africa Foundation (HAF), has provided over two billion, nine hundred million Leones (Le2.9bn) directly to health care delivery, water and sanitation throughout the country,” he said.

He added that SLBL was currently building two hospitals in Wellington and Calaba Town communities.

He noted that SLBL was also sponsoring a water and sanitation project at Ward 352 at Mellon Street and a water project at Up-Mountain in the Peacock Farm at Wellington, adding that through HAF, SLBL was also supporting the Lion Heart hospital in Yele, Gbonkolenten Chiefdom in the Tonkolili district and other hospital at Masanga, northern Sierra Leone.

“Today, we are commissioning six projects of water wells and toilets to promote WASH facilities in schools in constituencies 97 and 98 where Brewery operates. The total value of this post Ebola WASH and school stationery projects is Le346,990,000. If you could recollect, part of the project was the provision of learning and teaching materials to six schools and this was successfully launched in both constituencies 97 and 98 in 2015,” he disclosed.

He said the post-Ebola WASH projects in constituency 98, headed by Hon. Kello, was the first project to underwent a complete process of tendering, bidding, procurement of materials and now commissioning, which was done in a transparent and credible manner, noting that the project was expected to benefit more the school and residents in the Bottom-Oku community.

“Our support does not end here; it is the beginning of a new relationship with Bottom-Oku with more sustainable projects which will be intended to improve the livelihoods of our people. However, we also count on the support of all Sierra Leoneans, especially our host community, Wellington to help us promote our brands by buying the products of SLBL. Our products include Maltina, Star Beer, Mutzig, Guinness stout, among others. This is the only way you can help to support our business and sustain our continued support to such projects,” he appealed.

School authorities expressed their appreciation for the WASH facilities and promised to ensure their sustainability.

THE JUNGLE

February 22, 2017 By Elizabeth A.Kaine

Lions and tigers dominate

Headlines from the jungle

But mostly gentle folks are these

Rabbits and beavers in lonely lair

A nightingale sings in the fetid air

Ah yes

The wolves and skunks run free

Fattening on innocents they see

The people

See only the lions and tigers

Whom they fear

For the quiet ones with frightened eyes

No one shed a tear

February 22, 2017 By Ibrahim Tarawallie

In order to effectively and efficiently review advised on and monitor compliance and implementation, the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRC-SL) yesterday conducted training on the interpretation of the three gender laws, as well as the Sexual Offences Act of 2012.

In 2007, the house of parliament enacted the three Gender Acts – the Domestic Violence Act, the Devolution of Estates Act and the Registration of Customary Marriage and Divorce Act to help put a stop to domestic violence against women and girls.

The training at the Lancelot Campbell Memorial Hall on Dundas Street in Freetown, which was supported by the Office of the High Commission for Human Rights, would help the commission in developing appropriate checklist for monitoring the implementation of the said laws.

During the opening session, HRC-SL Vice Chairperson, Daphne Olu-Williams, urged staff members to take the training seriously as it would help in sharping their skills, while they wait for funds to carry out their activities.

She also implored participants to stay out of the misconception that domestic violence was a women’s affair, saying that men can also be victim of such act.

Also, Women and Children’s Rights Officer, Ann Marie Balboa, stated that women and girls suffer discrimination in almost every sphere of life, including marriage, adoption and cultural practices.

She said they were frequent victims of domestic violence and other related problems which was why the enactment of the three gender laws was seen as a major step towards state compliance to international and regional human rights instruments.

She stressed the need for staff to be adequately trained and knowledgeable in the legal interpretations of the acts, adding that it was one thing to enact the laws but a quiet different thing to understand their contents, implementation and enforcement policies.

According to her, the training would further enhance the capacity of staff and the commission to measure the impact of the implementation of the three gender laws and the Sexual Offences Act, through which they would be capable of cataloging areas that needed to be improved upon.

February 24, 2017 By Hawa Amara

Four accused persons were yesterday remanded at the Male Correctional Centre on Pademba Road for allegedly murderingformer Chief of Defense Staff,   Retired Lieutenant General,Samuel Omar Williams.

Ibrahim Kalokoh aka Kate  Fayai , Festus Mansaray,   Alhaji Steven Bangura and Alpha Umaru were arraigned at the Freetown Magistrates’  Court No.1, presided over by Magistrate Dr. AbouBhakarrBinneh-Kamara on four counts of conspiracy, robbery with aggravation and murder, contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone.

The charged sheet stated that the accused persons on diverse dates between 1^st and 22^nd December, 2016, at Bai BurehRoad, conspired with unknown persons to commit a felony  to wit robbery with aggravation.

The charge sheet continued  that the accused persons on 22^nd December, 2016, at Umuels Drive, Devil Hole in the Waterloo Judicial district, being armed with short gun, robbed the deceased,  Retired Lieutenant General Samuel Omar Williams of two IPhone 6 valued  Le 14, 700 000, one Black Sierratel Mobile Phone  valued  Le 200,000,00, one Samsung Galaxy edge valued  Le 11, 025,000,00, one Silver MAC  Apple Laptop computer valued  Le8, 820,000,00, one Sunny blue-black computer valued Le5, 880, 000 00, one silver colour portfolio valued  Le 200,000,00,  one blue-black colour traveling hand bag valued  Le500,000,00, one gold bracelet valued  Le7,350,000,00, one gold necklace valued  Le5, 880,000,00, all to the total value  of 56, 355,000,00 ,properties of the said deceased.

The particulars further stated that the accused persons on 22nd December, 2016, atUmuels Drive, Devil Hole in the Waterloo Judicial district, murdered the deceased after catering away the items.

The matter is being prosecuted by State Counsels, Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Sulaiman  Bah, A.G.N Bockarie,  Juna Bull, A.V. Koroma and A. Jalloh.

Lead State Counsel, A.J.N Bockarie,appealed for an adjournment to enable  inhim  have proper conference with the witnesses.  The matter was adjourned to 2^nd March, 2017, for the prosecution to open its case.

February 24, 2017 By Mohamed Massaquoi

One of the founding members of the group of flag bearer aspirants for the main opposition Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), has said that one of the reasons behind the formation of the alliance was to foster peace within the party, and that his resignation was not as a result of any weakness but to show to SLPP members that the party has got an everlasting peace.

John Oponjo Benjamin made the statement during a press conference yesterday at the SLPP headquarters in Freetown, that the party has started a new political journey  ahead of the 2018 presidential, parliamentary and local council elections,and that every effort should be made by every member of the party to ensure victory.

He added that the peace process was unshakable and that they were ready to support whosoever emerges as flag bearer of the SLPP, adding that the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) party members were very pleased with the conflict that created a serious political divide within the SLPP for the past two years.

“I decided to come to the party headquarters to make my first press conference after our peace process.   I want to thank the press for contributing towards the peace SLPP is now enjoying. After considering the recent activities within the party; we agreed to now work together as a unified force. I want every Sierra Leonean to know that I was not kicked out of the alliance but rather voluntarily resigned because I believed in the peace process of the SLPP,” he said.

“This is a clear manifestation that what happened with the APC some years ago that brought everlasting peace to them has finally happened to the SLPP.  I want to assure you that nobody will drag us back anymore. My brother,Maada Bio, visited me some few days ago and we spoke so well. We will continue with this trend for the SLPP to again come into governance and liberate Sierra Leoneans from the political and economic bondage of the APC,” he said

Benjamin further explained that he was the last to have signed the peace communiqué simply because he was not around when other party stakeholders consented to the document.

“I am appealing to the National Electoral Commission NEC not to allow the president to violate theConstitution of this country. He has beendoing it over the past years. He sacked Dr. J D Rogers as Bank Governor, Munda Rogers as Director of Sierra Leone Roads Authority, the Vice President, Samuel Sam Sumana without any question,” he said,adding that the president was wrong to have shifted the date for the presidential election for 2018.

Febrary 23, 2017 By Ibrahim Tarawallie

The Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL) and the Legal Aid Board will today complete a three -day engagement on alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in the context of Business and Human Rights.

The purpose of the engagement,which was hosted at the Lancelot Campbell Memorial Hall in Freetown, was to connect the relevance of ADR to the application of business related conflicts and to enable the commission’s staff to effectively apply knowledge on the training for amicable resolution of business related conflicts during their monitoring operations.

Explaining the importance of the engagement, Vice Chairperson, Daphne Olu- Williams stated such training would help to prevent a repeat of ugly occurrences in business related areas.

She said handling of company related conflicts through mediation and /or conciliation also serves as a fulfillment of the non-judicial remediation mechanism as indicated in Pillar 3 of the United Nations Guiding Principles.

According to her the Edinburgh Declaration of 2010 identifies significant role for National Human Rights Institutions in addressing human rights, which among others include complaints handling and mediation and conciliation.

“It is therefore pertinent for such training for our staff in ADR to further equip them to meaningfully contribute to resolving conflicts arising out of business operations in the country,” she noted.

The Human Rights Commission has established a Business and Human Rights Unit to monitor compliance of relevant government institutions and businesses to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and other relevant human rights standards, guidelines and principles applicable to the state and business.

According to the commission, the out of court means of settling dispute or ADP has most times been yielding positive result because of its win-win tendency.

The training was facilitated by the Director of Legal Aid Board, Fatmata Claire Carlton- Hanciles, who deals with human rights and alternative dispute resolution and Lawyer Francis Gabbidon on alternative dispute resolution forum, settling of community level problem and commercial driven dispute.

February 24, 2017 By Ibrahim Tarawallie  

The vast majority of Sierra Leoneans, especially women, cook their daily meals outdoors on a three stone fire which poses serious public health and environmental hazards.

The introduction of the second generation of Wonder Stove by Westwind Energy Company would help to ensure healthier and clean kitchen environment in Sierra Leone.

The launch of the stoves, designed for institutions that cook on open fire and use large quantities of wood on a daily basis at Hotel Barmoion Wednesday (February 22), was witnessed by prominent individuals, including the former Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Dr.KandehYumkella.

Dr.Yumkella welcomed the launch of the stoves and expressed his delight with regards the use of local materials in introducing such an initiative, which according to him, would help in solving the problems in cooking on open fires.

He said while he was working at the United Nations some years back, they had documented the impact that indoor air pollution poses on children’s and women’s health.

He revealed that some 700million people in some countries, including Ghana still use charcoal and fire wood to cook.

“Getting cook clean stove is part of a bigger health problem, worse than HIV/AIDS, malaria and Tuberculosis combined,” he said and stressed on the issues of standard, finance and sustainability, as well as the need to change the current cultural practices of cooking.

Also speaking, Managing Director of Westwind Energy, TapsirNjai stated that the stoves would help to eliminate up to 90% of smoke and change the cooking method currently being used in the country.

He explained that the stove cooks faster and retains heat for longer period and that it uses 70% less firewood compared to a traditional three stone fireplace.

“Each stove is constructed to meet the customer’s individual requirements. It prevents accidents from open fires and it is durable, efficient and has less smoke. Fire savings usually pay for the cost of one stove after only one year,” he said.

Mr. Njai assured of his company’s  keen interest to partner with other organisations to introduce and promote “this cooking technology to Sierra Leonean Communities”.

February 24, 2017 By Joseph S. Margai

In order to address the drop in power generation due to reduced capacity from Bumbuna this dry season, the Sierra Leone Institution of Engineers (SLIE) and the Professional Engineers Registration Council (PERC), have called on the government to continue with plans to ensure that by April, 2017, there is a sustained generation capacity of electricity of at least 100 megawatts.

They made the call in a position paper titled “Sierra Leone’s Energy Security Challenges” released recently after they held a consultative meeting organised in partnership with the Ministry of Energy, the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) and the Electricity Generation and Transmission Company (EGTC) on 9^th January, 2017, at the Cathedral House on Gloucester Street in Freetown.

“We met with the Ministry of Energy and its utility companies to discuss what plans government had made to provide adequate, reliable, affordable and sustainable power supply to consumers, especially as we approach the dry season with the challenges of low generation from Bumbuna and the attendant costs of generating power using the thermal plants available,” they said in the position paper.

They observed that if nothing was done by the government to address the drop in electricity generation, all the huge financial investments to increase evacuation capacity would not be money wisely spent.

 The position paper stated that there has been a serious mismatch between funding for improving evacuation capacity and increasing generation.

“There is an Energy Strategic Plan which was developed in 2014 and validated by stakeholders including the World Bank. The Government should take all necessary actions to achieve full implementation of this plan to achieve generation capacity including reserve generating capacity compatible with a maximum demand of 1041 MW by 2030. This compares favourably to the maximum demand based on a benchmarking approach. Addressing this anomaly can start now by accelerating investment in generation by all possible means,” the position paper states.

The Engineers, in their position paper, continued that  government should continue the process of reforming the energy sector to attract PrivateSector Investment, stating that such would  more be sustainable than continuously negotiating for fundingfrom the World Bank.

“The World Bank should be made aware of the anomalies the SLIE/PERC has observed regarding the assumptions made in their Commercial/Financial model, such high percentage of losses for Freetown and greater Freetown. SLIE/PERC is willing to be partners with the Ministry of Energy in achieving its mission to provide adequate, reliable, affordable and sustainable power supply to the nation,” they stated.

Regarding the losses in the system, the position paper of the Engineers stated that all energy supplied to a distribution utility does not reach the end consumer and a substantial amount of energy was lost in the distribution system by way of technical and non-technical losses.

“Technical Losses are naturally occurring losses caused by action internal to the power system and consist mainly of power dissipation in electrical system component such as transmission lines, power transformers, measurement system, etc. Technical losses are possible to compute and control. Non-technical Losses on the other hand are caused by actions external to the power system or are caused by loads and condition that the technical losses computation failed to take into account. Non-technical losses mainly relate to power theft in one form or the other,” they stated.

They defined power theft as energy delivered to customers that are not measured by the energy meter for the customer, adding that there were many causes of non-technical loss including tampering with meters to ensure the meter recorded a lower consumption reading, stealing by bypassing the meter or otherwise making illegal connections, tapping (hooking) on LT lines, arranging false readings by bribing meter readers, ignoring unpaid bills, faulty energy meters or un-metered supply and non-payment by customers.

They noted that EDSA has made significant efforts to move towards a total prepaid meter system.Currently85% of the meters are prepaid, noting that this number will rise to 90% in 2018.

February 24, 2017 By Kadrie Koroma

The Ministry of Health and Sanitation in collaboration with METABIOTA (USAID PREDICT) has ended a one day meeting on the One Health district initiative on Tuesday, February 21, 2017 at the Ramsy hall, Liverpool Street in Freetown.

The objective of the meeting was to facilitate multi-sectoral coordination and technical discussions on One Health implementation within the PREDICT project.

 The Deputy Chief Medical Officer II, Dr. Amara Jambai, described the event as an important occasion in preventing disease in the country.

Dr. Jambai stressed the need to making sure that human lives are protected against diseases from animals, adding that the different sectors should ensure that human lives are protected.

He observed that One Health has a varied applications from country to country and that Sierra Leone has its own format in addressing diseases through collaboration and coordination.

Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) Advisor USAID, Dorothy Peprah, stressed the importance of the meeting and the collaboration to prevent diseases in Sierra Leone.

She said USAID is supporting the PREDICT project in Sierra Leone and several other countries around the world, disclosing that 70 percent of new emerging diseases are coming from animals and reiterated their strong support to the development of the project noting that the idea of collaboration is no longer an option but a must.

METABIOTA Country Director, Prof. AiahGbakima, giving the background of PREDICT, said the PREDICT-2 project is part of USAID’s Emerging Pandemic Threat-2 programme (EPT-2), to develop a global early warning system to detect, track, and predict the emergence of new Zoonotic pathogens from animals that could pose a threat to human health.

He said PREDICT is implementing the Ebola Host Project (EHP) in Sierra Leone to identify the animals that may act as reservoirs or transmission hosts for Ebola and other filoviruses.

 PREDICT’s goal in Sierra Leone, the Country Director said is to identify animals that may act as reservoirs or transmission hosts for Ebola virus to enable development of targeted prevention measures that can reduce the risk of spillover from animals to people using the One Health approach.

 Statement from the Country Team Lead, FAO, TesfaiTseygai, presentations on PREDICT and discussion  on the next steps, chaired by the District Medical Officer, Western Area, Dr. Thomas Samba formed part of the meeting.