By Sorie Ibrahim Fofanah
The Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs, Tamba Lamina has said they want to review the Chieftaincy Act of 2009.
The Minister made this statement during the weekly press conference of the Ministry of Information and Civic Education held at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Freetown on 31st October, 2023.
“If you look at the current Chieftaincy Act, several things are left out,” Lamina said, adding that much of the provisions in the said act focus on the election of paramount chiefs, which they want to review to be in line with the Local Government Act that would ensure chiefdoms participation in local governance. “It is a huge work that we will be doing,” he added.
Lamina recalled when they tabled the 2022 Local Government Act in Parliament, during which he said the Speaker directed them to work on a new Chieftaincy Act that would address the “several inconsistencies.” He said they will be doing nationwide consultations to amend the Chieftaincy Act.
On promulgation of the Local Government Act in 2004, he said it did not take into account provisions for paramount chieftaincy, which he said is the bedrock of governance, and was mainly focused at the time on local councils.
“But the new Local Governance Act that we passed in 2022, brings the chieftaincy right into local governance,” Lamina said, adding that a new Chieftaincy Act that would fundamentally look at chieftaincy issues.
Speaking about the salary status of local council personnel he said: “Previously, chairpersons were having allowances. For councilors, we increased their salaries and sitting fees, but initially, the paramount chiefs had salaries every three months. Now every month we ensure that the paramount chiefs have alerts from the bank’’.
“This is to ensure that we deepen and strengthen the local governance, and the people leading should have a reward that they need,” he went on.
The Minister also spoke about five chiefdoms that were without paramount chiefs due to conflict between the paramount chiefs and their subjects. He said they have reinstated four of the five chiefs who are now working with their people, after conducting administrative investigations.
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