The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Alpha Sesay, addressed the Kono Civic Day Series Conference at the Kono District Council Hall in Koidu City, hosted by Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor Bah. He provided a detailed briefing on Sierra Leone’s constitutional review process and key provisions of the proposed Electoral Reforms Constitution Amendment Bill currently before Parliament.
In his presentation, the Attorney General traced the evolution of Sierra Leone’s Constitution. He noted that the 1978 Constitution established a one-party state, which was replaced by the 1991 multiparty Constitution shortly before the civil war. Following the war, the 1999 Lomé Peace Agreement particularly Article 10 recommended a comprehensive review of the 1991 Constitution. This led to the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which identified governance and constitutional weaknesses and called for a broad, consultative reform process.
Acting on the TRC recommendations, the late President Dr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah issued a White Paper committing to constitutional reform and established a committee chaired by Dr. Peter Tucker. The committee’s report was later submitted to former President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma.
In 2013, President Koroma established the Justice Edmond Cowan Constitutional Review Committee, comprising over 80 members from registered political parties, civil society organizations, youth groups, and market women. The committee conducted extensive nationwide consultations, including over 10,000 public engagements, 150 position papers, 80 expert consultations, 180 direct stakeholder meetings, more than 70,000 consultation forms, and 40,960 website visitors.
The committee submitted its report in June 2017, which the government accepted in part and rejected in part. In 2021, President Julius Maada Bio issued another White Paper incorporating the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Act provisions into the proposed new Constitution.
Following the 2023 National Peace and Unity Agreement, a Tripartite Committee was established. The parties agreed on 80 recommendations, with non-entrenched provisions already tabled in Parliament as electoral reforms ahead of the 2028 general elections, while entrenched provisions will undergo the broader constitutional review process leading to a national referendum.
On electoral reforms, the Attorney General highlighted the proposal on Proportional Representation (PR). The Bill seeks to repeal Section 38A, which provides temporary authority for PR, and amend Section 74(1)(b) to allow a category of Members of Parliament to be elected through proportional representation, with modalities to be determined by Parliament.
During his visit to Kono, the Attorney General met with magistrates, prosecutors, defense lawyers, police officers, and court staff. Discussions focused on challenges affecting justice delivery and ways to strengthen the justice system and improve access to justice for citizens.
He also visited the Safadu Correctional Service Centre, commending the management and staff for their efforts in inmate rehabilitation and reducing reoffending. He engaged directly with both male and female inmates to understand their experiences with the criminal justice system and prison conditions, praising the cleanliness of the facility and the vision to develop it into a model institution for correctional service reform in Sierra Leone.