The Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law, Sierra Leone (CARL-SL) is concerned by reports and circulating accounts regarding an incident at Kroo Town Road – Kroo Bay, Freetown, involving some members of the public and the Sierra Leone Police.
In the absence of a completed and credible investigation, CARL-SL considers it premature to draw definitive conclusions or make findings of fact about the incident. We, however recognize the seriousness of the reports and the potential implications of the incident for public safety, human rights and community-police relations.
CARL-SL unequivocally condemns violence, riotous conduct, destruction of life and property, attacks against persons and obstruction of lawful public duties. It is our view that the exercise of constitutional rights and freedom does not extend to a conduct that places the life, safety or property of others at risk. Citizens have a responsibility to express grievances peacefully and to pursue disputes through lawful channels. Community grievances must not be resolved through violence or intimidation.
At the same time, we note that maintaining public order is a responsibility of government, and the exercise of that responsibility must remain firmly within the law. However, the existence of public disorder does not give law enforcement personnel an unlimited mandate to use force. Whenever force becomes necessary, it must be lawful, reasonable and proportionate to the circumstances and level of threat or resistance encountered. This principle is particularly important in situations involving public gatherings, disturbances and confrontations between civilians and law enforcement personnel. Policing a public disturbance requires officers to assess the nature of the threat and respond accordingly. The presence of individuals at or around a disturbance should not, in itself, make them legitimate targets of force. Where practicable, law enforcement responses should distinguish between persons actively threatening life, safety, or property and persons who are merely present at the scene.
The objective of policing should ultimately be to restore public order, protect life and property, de-escalate tensions and prevent further harm. Given the competing accounts surrounding the incident, CARL-SL calls for a prompt, independent and credible investigation which should, at a minimum, seek to establish the sequence of events, the circumstances that led to the confrontation, conduct of civilians and law enforcement personnel, nature of force used and to determine whether or not the said force is what led to the allege demise of two residents of the community.
Furthermore, the investigation should provide an opportunity for affected persons and witnesses to give accounts of what occurred and should be conducted in a manner that inspires public confidence. CARL-SL emphasizes that accountability cannot be selective, where members of the public are found to have engaged in violence, assault, destruction of property or other unlawful conduct, the law should be applied fairly and appropriately. Equally, where law enforcement personnel are found to have acted unlawfully, used excessive or disproportionate force, or otherwise violated the rights of members of the public, appropriate disciplinary, administrative or legal action should follow.
We therefore call on:
Members of the public to remain peaceful, refrain from violence and pursue grievances through lawful channels
The Sierra Leone Police to exercise maximum restraint and ensure that any force employed is strictly necessary, lawful and proportionate to the circumstances
Community and Political leaders to discourage inflammatory statements that could heighten tensions or encourage confrontations
The press and social media users to exercise responsibility in reporting on the incident and avoid circulating unverified information that could further inflame an already sensitive situation.
CARL-SL continues to call on all stakeholders to exercise restraint, reject violence and contribute to a peaceful resolution of the incident. We remain committed to the promotion of human rights, rule of law, accountable policing and peaceful democratic participation.
The Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law, Sierra Leone (CARL-SL) welcomes the Government of Sierra Leone’s reported procurement of $2.5 million worth of essential drugs and sexual and reproductive health commodities for distribution to health facilities nationwide. “This investment demonstrates Government’s continued commitment to protecting critical health services for women, children and families across Sierra Leone,” says the Minister of Health, Dr. Austin H. Demby. CARL-SL recognises this investment as an important step towards strengthening maternal and child healthcare, and protecting the lives and dignity of women, girls, newborns and children. At a time when Sierra Leone is intensifying efforts under the 300 Days of Activism for Triple Zero, ensuring the availability of life-saving drugs and reproductive health commodities is critical. However, procurement is only the beginning. The real measure of success is whether these commodities reach the people who need them. CARL-SL therefore calls on the Ministry of Health, and National Medical Supplies Agency to ensure that the entire supply chain—from procurement, storage, transportation, distribution and utilisation is transparent, traceable and accountable. Specifically, CARL-SL urges the Ministry of Health to: Publish a distribution plan showing the health facilities and districts receiving the commodities, quantities allocated and expected delivery dates. Strengthen independent monitoring so that civil society actors, communities and other stakeholders can verify that commodities reported as delivered are actually available at health facilities. Establish accessible complaints and feedback mechanisms through which patients, health workers and communities can report stock-outs, diversion, unofficial charges, expired medicines or other irregularities. Ensure equitable distribution, particularly to rural, hard-to-reach and underserved communities where shortages can have devastating consequences. CARL-SL welcomes the Government’s stated intention to track these commodities from NMSA stores to health facilities and calls for this mechanism to be sufficiently transparent to enable meaningful public oversight. Public resources must deliver public results. No woman should lose her life because a life-saving drug was procured but failed to reach the facility where she needed it. No health worker should be expected to manage a medical emergency without the essential supplies required to save life. CARL-SL therefore calls on the Government to make this investment a model of transparent, equitable and accountable public health spending, with regular public reporting on distribution, availability, stock-outs and corrective actions. The public have a right to know how public resources are spent. Patients have a right to receive the healthcare and drugs they need. And Government has a responsibility to ensuring that every dollar invested in saving lives delivers the intended public benefit. CARL-SL will continue to monitor developments and encourages citizens, health workers and civil society actors to remain vigilant and use appropriate accountability mechanisms to report credible concerns regarding the availability, distribution or misuse of essential health commodities.
CARL-SL urges the Government of Sierra Leone to pay backlog School Fee Subsidies, ahead of School Reopening, for this academic year.
Freetown, Sierra Leone
04/09/2026
The Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law – Sierra Leone (CARL-SL) is deeply concerned by reports that school fee subsidies for third term, last academic year, have not been paid to schools, ahead of the reopening of schools, for this academic year.
The Sierra Leone Teachers Union (SLTU) has publicly raised concerns that while schools are expected to reopen, the delay in payment of subsidies, coupled with shortages of essential teaching and learning materials may significantly affect effective teaching and learning.
CARL-SL recognizes and welcomes the Government of Sierra Leone’s investment in the Free Quality School Education (FQSE) programme, which has expanded access to education for thousands of children across the country. His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio has repeatedly reaffirmed his government’s commitment to providing free, inclusive, equitable and quality education as a cornerstone of Sierra Leone’s human capital development agenda.
However, access to education must be accompanied by the resources necessary to make quality education a reality. Therefore, delay in payment of school fee subsidies can render schools unable to meet essential operational needs and provide teachers with the materials and support required for effective service delivery.
CARL-SL is particularly concerned about the potential consequences for pupils learning outcomes and instructional time. If schools reopen without adequate resources, teachers may be physically present but unable to teach effectively. This could further widen existing learning gaps and disproportionately affect pupils from less privileged and vulnerable households who rely mainly on public schools.
CARL-SL therefore, calls on the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) and all relevant authorities to:
Urgently disburse all outstanding backlog school fee subsidies to eligible schools.
Ensure that schools have the essential teaching and learning materials needed for effective service delivery.
Provide clear and timely information to schools, teachers, parents and the public on the status of the subsidies and steps being taken to resolve the delay.
Put in place a predictable and timely subsidy disbursement mechanism to prevent similar delay in the future.
CARL-SL reminds the Government that, Free Quality Education must mean more than simply getting pupils into classrooms, it must also ensure that they receive meaningful teaching in adequately resourced schools.
The Government’s commitment to FQSE is a commitment to Sierra Leone’s children and their future. Every school day lost to avoidable administrative or funding delays, represents a loss to a child’s education and to the country’s human capital development.
The Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law – Sierra Leone (CARL-SL) has taken note of a social media post by the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Mr Conrad Sackey, regarding allegations that Agape Primary School, Freetown demanded and collected money from parents for the release of their children’s National Primary School Examination (NPSE) results. According to the minister, the school authorities were summoned to respond to the allegations, and money collected for this purpose must be refunded, and parents should not pay to collect NPSE results. CARL-SL strongly agrees with the Minister’s statement: “Every Leone matter to a struggling family. Every child deserves a fair chance.” We remain strongly and consistently committed to protecting the integrity of education in Sierra Leone, as it is fundamental to Sierra Leone’s future, particularly for children in under privileged and deprived communities. Unauthorised financial demands can place additional burdens on families already struggling to meet basic needs, and may ultimately affect children’s ability to progress in school. We therefore commend the Ministry for its prompt intervention and reminds all stakeholders that, because Agape is a private school does not place it outside government regulation. The Ministry is responsible for the control and supervision of basic and senior secondary education, including government, government-assisted, and private schools, under the applicable legal and policy framework. We therefore call for these responsibilities to be exercised consistently across all categories of schools. Going forward, now that interviews for admission to JSS One are underway, we urge the Ministry to timely communicate a reasonable fee and payment requirements for government and government-assisted schools across the country. CARL-SL makes it clear that an unauthorised demand of money by any government or government assisted school is a recipe for corruption, and must not be compromised by anyone. Where the facts show an act of corruption, abuse of authority, fraud or other unlawful conduct, the appropriate authorities must investigate and act in accordance with the law. Such matters must be handled based on evidence and due process, not sentiments. We further encourage Parents to familiarise themselves with officially approved charges and report any school that demands unauthorised payments outside the established framework, retaining evidence where possible. CARL-SL wish to conduct a strong and continuous monitoring of upcoming admission processes, to ensuring that school authorities strictly comply with the Ministry’s approved financial demands. Furthermore, we call on the Anti-Corruption Commission, Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Teaching Service Commission, Conference of Principals, Sierra Leone Teachers Union, Civil Society Organizations, and other relevant stakeholders, including the media to monitor the process and prevent payment of unauthorised charges by parents. CARL-SL remains committed to promoting transparency, accountability and the rule of law in education, by ensuring that no child is disadvantaged because of his or her financial status -END-
The Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law – Sierra Leone (CARL-SL) wishes to commend Parliament and the Government of Sierra Leone for sustaining the country’s constitutional review process, which represents one of the most significant democratic reform initiatives since the adoption of the 1991 Constitution.
As an organisation committed to promoting constitutionalism, good governance, accountability, human rights, and the rule of law, we believe that a modern, inclusive, and people-centred Constitution is fundamental to strengthening democratic governance, protecting fundamental rights, enhancing institutional accountability, and consolidating sustainable peace and national development.
