By: Audrey Raymonda John
The Director of Road Safety and Enforcement at the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA), Augustine Kaitongi, has announced the introduction of a Highway Management Unit (HMU) aimed at removing abandoned and faulty vehicles from major highways. He noted that these vehicles pose significant risks to public safety and traffic flow.
Director Kaitongi commended the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) for providing a holding centre at Mile 91 to temporarily house the towed vehicles.
Additionally, under the leadership of SLRSA Executive Director James Bio, the agency has launched a Mobile Licensing Vehicle Initiative. This program allows citizens to obtain driving licenses directly from mobile units at no extra cost, thereby increasing accessibility and reducing opportunities for financial exploitation. A 24-hour toll-free line (844) has also been made available for license requests, complaints, and accident reporting.
Director Kaitongi also revealed that the Ministry of Transport and Aviation will soon host a national consultation on the proposed Vehicle Age Policy, which aims to regulate the importation of old vehicles and improve national road safety standards.
In a related development, the Freetown City Council (FCC) is preparing to launch a CBD Regeneration and Beautification Project. The initiative seeks to revamp the city’s central business district through beautification, improved lighting, and the enforcement of parking regulations.
Koma Hassan-Kamara, Information, Education, and Communication Officer at FCC, linked the rise in urban congestion and lawlessness to increasing rural-to-urban migration. She welcomed the recent enforcement efforts by the city’s taskforce, describing them as “timely and long overdue.”
“For over two years, the FCC has struggled to bring order to the city,” she stated.
The project, which will be implemented in partnership with SLRA and SLRSA, forms part of FCC’s broader urban renewal and modernization strategy aimed at restoring Freetown’s image as a clean, safe, and organized capital city.