News

By Prince Musa

Civil Society activists in the eastern Sierra Leone headquarters of Kenema have taken on the central government accusing it of "bias" in the distribution of national resources in terms of development projects.

Last week the activists, under the umbrella of the civil society and human rights committee in the district, published an open letter serving as an official complaint directed to the Ombudsman’s office and copied to foreign diplomats and the media.

By Prince Musa

Sierra Leone's Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has appealed for collaboration from the people of Kenema in its fight against graft.

Mohamed Sylvanus Blake, District Coordinator of the anti-graft agency, said the fight against corruption was a national one which required everyone’s participation. 

He was speaking at the launch of the Pay No Bribe campaign which in Kenema last week.

By Prince Musa

The people of Kenema in eastern Sierra Leone have praised the idea of setting-up a Legal Aid Board (LAB) office in the district, citing its potential to improve the justice system.

The leadership of the Board recently convened a consultative meeting with stakeholders at the District Council Hall on Nyandeyama Road in Kenema, during which the idea was formally presented to stakeholders.

By Kemo Cham

After repeated denial, Sierra Leone has finally put in motion a controversial plan to control social media.

Officials behind the move say the trend of social media “misuse” poses a national security threat. They say they are concerned about the use of unprintable images as well as pornography. 

They also point at people using social media platforms to launch personal attack on senior government officials.

But critics have damned the move saying it only intends to stifle free speech, dismissing it as a futile attempt.

By Umaru Fofana

The Director of Support for the UN Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), Amadu Kamara (pictured) has refuted reports that he has been sacked for alleged fraud. 

“The allegations contained in the alleastafrica.com publication are false and unfounded. I am still employed in good standing at the UN”, Kamara told Politico in a telephone interview from Nairobi. 

He said there was no allegation against him at his workplace referring to the publication as “malicious”. 

By Umaru Fofana

An internal audit has revealed corruption amounting to millions of US dollars emanting from the total disregard for procurement procedures in Sierra Leone's ministries of defence, education, agriculture, the police and western area rural council. 

The report by the Audit Service which looks at the period January - October 2015 but has only just been made public after parliament was notified in August, says five major audit entities were examined and an in-depth look at a sample of 72 major contracts. 

By Kemo Cham

Sierra Leone’s Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has deployed a hi-tech tool designed to let citizens report corruption with more ease and autonomy.

With an internet connected devise, anyone anywhere can download a specially dedicated and interactive app and report corruption, or if they have come across an honest Sierra Leonean.

ACC officials say the new development is part of the Commission’s latest project - the ‘Pay No Bribe’ campaign, launched late last month.