AYV News, January 28, 2026
The Parliament of Sierra Leone has held a prelegislative engagement on the Constitutional Amendment Act 2025 of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone.
The Bill is seeking to amend the Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991and to provide for other related matters.
In his statement, the Clerk of Parliament, Karmoh K. Conteh welcomed Hon. Members of Parliament and distinguished guests to the House of Parliament. He continued by narrating the various stages and procedures relating to the enactment of a Bill into law. He also assured the public of a fair and transparent processes in the proposed constitutional amendments.
The Chairman of Legislative Committee, Hon. Abdul Sulaiman Marray-Conteh centered his introductory remarks on acknowledging the efforts of Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Alpha Sesay Esq., whilst speaking on the merits of the Bill, and provided a clear understanding regarding the passage of a Bill into law.
Leader of Opposition, Hon. Abdul Kargbo described the pre-legislative engagement as the most important legislative tool in the Fifth and Sixth Parliaments and cautioned that, it should not be micromanaged by Parliament.’’ In amending any clause in the Constitution, there should be 2/3rd of Members of Parliament. He encouraged the Parliament to ensure that due process is followed by the proposed amendments. “Most of the recommendations which emanated from the Tripartite were left out”, he claimed. Accommodation must be made for stakeholders who have inputs to make’’, he appealed. He said that if the process is not followed by amending the Constitution, they as a party will recuse themselves from the process. He ended by assuring the government of their fullest cooperation if the due process was being followed.
Majority and Leader of Government Business, Hon. Mathew Sahr Nyuma said Parliament has a sound track records of making progressive laws and not an abuser of procedures in the lawmaking process. He said that Parliament would always follow diligent processes in the enactment of laws. He also said that the document is a government proposal that Parliament will critically peruse before consideration. Hon. Nyuma emphatically mentioned progressive laws enacted by the previous and current Parliaments, using due processes. He assured the public of a fair and conscientious considerations throughout the process and that there will be continued consultations in order to accommodate opposing views in the process.
Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Alpha Sesay said the Bill has generated significant public interest and that the government is open to accommodating the views of Sierra Leoneans regarding the Bill. He said many reforms have been made under the leadership of President Julius Maada Bio. He continued by stating the commitments and ambition of the government to empower and protect its citizens. He narrated the stages leading to ongoing plans to review the Constitution, referencing the Justice Cowan Constitutional Review’s Report and the Tripartite Recommendations, as the two major sources of the proposed amendments. ‘’The provisions of the Bill are products of the Justice Cowan’s Report and the 80 tripartite recommendations which constitute the proposed constitutional ammendments, he said.
In a PowerPoint presentation, the Attorney General said, tripartite recommendations that were bordered around the Constitution were included in the proposed amendments, together with the Justice Cowan’s Report. During the presentation, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice presented to legislators and stakeholders by reemphasizing various recommendations captured in the amendments for the attention and consideration by Parliament.
In a question and comment session, some Members of Parliament and other stakeholders raised concerns and clarifications regarding the proposed amendments.
