By: Zacharia Jalloh, Ministry of Information and Civic Education
Chairman of the Western Rural District Council, Kasho Holland-Cole, has thrown his weight behind the Government’s redistricting process, calling for the Western Area Rural District to be divided into two administrative entities, including a city council for Waterloo.
Speaking on the proposed changes during the Waterloo Civic Day Series held on the 20th October 2026, Holland-Cole recalled that during a meeting with His Excellency President Dr President Julius Maada Bio and then Chief Minister Jacob Jusu Saffa, he appealed to the President to divide the Western Area Rural into two councils to improve local governance and bring administration closer to the people.
He argued that Waterloo has the population, infrastructure and potential to qualify for city status, citing figures from the 2021 Mid-Term Population and Housing Census to support his position.
According to the figures he presented, Waterloo had a population of 314,382, compared with 223,875 for Bo and 112,000 for Makeni. He also cited Port Loko, which he put at approximately 40,000 people, arguing that Waterloo’s population and development make a strong case for city status.
The council chairman further expressed disappointment that successive governments led by both the All People’s Congress (APC) and the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) had, in his view, failed to provide Waterloo with adequate representation at the ministerial level.
He called for Waterloo to have ministers in government who could champion the town’s development priorities and help advance the aspirations of its growing population.
While welcoming the broader redistricting exercise, Holland-Cole raised concerns about boundaries outlined in the proposed Western Area Rural Council maps. He urged the Government to engage relevant stakeholders and communities to address these concerns before the process is concluded.
He maintained that dividing the Western Area Rural into two administrative entities, including a dedicated city council for Waterloo, would strengthen local representation, improve service delivery and better reflect the area’s population growth and development needs.
However, the Government of Sierra Leone unveiled three maps depicting the three newly created councils in the Western Area Rural District which includes, the Waterloo Rural Council, The York Rural Council and the Mountain Rural Council. This move according to the government, will improve service delivery and enhance administrative processes.
