By: Juliana Vandy
Strategic Communications Unit – MoICE
On Tuesday, 19th August 2025, the Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs, Tamba Lamina, announced the government’s proposal to establish new localities in the country.
Speaking at the weekly government press conference at the Miatta Conference Center, Freetown, he said that cabinet had reviewed the proposal and asked the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs to engage further across the country.
He explained that redistricting is a key component of local governance, saying the current local governance structure was established through the Local Government Act of 2004. He emphasized that all proposals, processes, and actions in local governance are carried out within a legal framework.
Minister Lamina pointed out that the 1991 Constitution mandates the devolution of functions, which is supported by the Local Government Act of 2004 and now the revised Local Governance Act of 2022.
According to Section 2, Part 2 of this Act, he underscored, the President of Sierra Leone has the authority to declare new localities within the country based on advice from the Ministers of Local Government, Finance, and the Chief Commissioner of the Electoral Commission (EC-SL).
The law, he furthered, also allows the President to appoint leaders for the new localities, establish councils, determine the location of headquarters, and decide on the composition and population of these councils.
He also noted that Section 3 of the Local Governance Act of 2022 requires the Ministers of Local Government and Community Affairs, Finance, and the Chief Electoral Commissioner of EC-SL to consider several factors before advising the President. These factors include the population, geographical connections, topography, population growth, and future expansion.
The Minister emphasized that the law’s drafters included provisions to address potential population growth and the expansion of localities. “As a government, we take these factors into account because equitable distribution of state resources relies on these considerations, including services and other social amenities,” he said.
Minister Lamina revealed that following a series of engagements and processes through the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, the President in exercising his authority, has decided to establish the two additional districts in the country.
He informed that one district will be named Kpanguma District, formed from parts of Kenema and Kailahun districts, while the other will be Bandajuma District, which will originate from portions of Bo, Kenema, and Pujehun districts. According to Minister Lamina, Kpanguma and Bandajuma Districts will be created
to enhance service delivery in those regions. Additionally, he mentioned the proposal to establish two extra councils in the Western Rural District (WARD -C) to ensure proper governance and adequate service delivery to all communities there as well as an additional council in the Western Area Urban.
