July 2, 2021
BY PROBLYN JOHN ALPHA
Some workers at the Immigration Office in Kono District have explained to this medium the challenges they are faced with. They outlined their said challenges in an exclusive interview with our correspondent.
According to the border Protocols Assistant of the Immigration Office in Kono District Mohamed Kanessie some of the challenges which they are faced with include: Lack of mobility to embark on border protocols and understaffing as the skeletal staff which the office has cannot effectively patrol at the forty five (45) border crossing points under their jurisdiction. He underscored the additional recruitment of staff and the availability of mobility if the immigration office in Kono District is to be efficient in the discharge of its duty.
Mr. Kanessie intimated our correspondent that their responsibility as Immigration Officers is to monitor the movement of both the citizens of Sierra Leone and foreigners from one points to another in and out of the country.
He pointed out that they have been very robust in performing their fundamental responsibility especially during the first, second and third waves of the Covid-19 pandemic through regular border patrols as one of the covid-19 precautionary measures mandated by the medics through the Government of Sierra Leone.
The Border Patrols Assistant of the Immigration Office in Kono District thanked the management of Koidu Limited for the construction of border crossing point posts which he said has cushioned the stress and workload their office previously contended with. He further encouraged all and sundry to put hands on deck by pleading with the Government for them to have additional staff and the provision of nobilities as the only motor-bike the office has cannot serve them effectively.