By SierraEye Magazine

Freetown, 23rd October 2026- The provisional list of eligible voters for Monday’s Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA) elections does not include outgoing President Tuma Adama Gento-Kamara. It also omits Alfred Kamanda, the Association’s former Public Relations Officer and other members of the past executive.

Caretaker Body Chairman Osman I. Kanu Esq. signed the 429-name list, published with a public notice dated 22 October 2026. The Caretaker Body states that the list complies with the SLBA Memorandum and Articles of Association and with a High Court order dated 23 July 2026. Members have until 5pm on Saturday 24 October to check their details at the Bar Secretariat and report any omission, duplication or error before the final register is issued.

A lawyer who spoke to SierraEye said the omission points to Martina Baindu Egbenda, the Administrator and Registrar-General, winning the presidency unopposed. Ms Egbenda appears on the list at number 264.

The Judiciary of Sierra Leone has declared a recess on Monday 26 October 2026 for the High Court and Magistrates’ Courts nationwide. Deputy Master and Registrar Hulaimatu F. Christian-Moses signed the notice on 23 October. It states that the recess is for the SLBA Annual General Meeting 2026. Court registries and other support offices will remain open.

Caretaker Body Secretary Menisa Sesay Esq. signed the notice of meeting on 2 October 2026. The notice sets a single payment test for voters and candidates: only members who paid their conference and subscription fees on or before 29 May 2026, and who hold a bank slip as proof, are eligible “to vote and be voted for.”

This rule follows the order Justice Mark Ngegba made on 23 July 2026 in a case filed by Ebunoluwa Tengbeh against the SLBA, the then executive and Rokel Commercial Bank (SL) Limited. The judge ordered the executive to publish a verified list of fully paid-up members, to accept only original bank slips for payments made on or before 29 May 2026, and to conduct the election strictly under the Memorandum and Articles. He also ordered the release of audited accounts and bank statements covering 1 May 2024 to 1 June 2026.

Because one payment test governs both voting and candidacy, Mrs Gento-Kamara and Mr Kamanda will neither vote nor stand on Monday unless the Caretaker Body adds their names during verification.

The agenda lists seven posts: President, Vice President, General Secretary, Assistant Secretary General, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer and Public Relations Officer. Nominations will be received at the meeting itself, so the final field will become clear only on Monday.

SierraEye checked the list against the names of the outgoing executive cited in the July court papers. Besides Mrs Gento-Kamara and Mr Kamanda, the list contains no entry for Vice President Sidique Tommy, General Secretary Alfred Paul Juwah, Treasurer Sotto Kobba or Assistant Treasurer Yoko Mahiteh Brewah.

The 429 names fall below the 572 ballots cast at the Kenema AGM in May 2024, when the Association recorded 1,200 registered voters.

Mrs Gento-Kamara “won” the presidency at the disputed Kenema AGM in May 2024 with 506 votes, against 23 for Wara Serry-Kamal and 15 for Augustine S. Marrah. Both rivals rejected the result and called the new executive illegitimate.

She sought a second term in 2026, with Ms Egbenda as her challenger. After the Association postponed the June poll, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Alpha Sesay issued directives on the delayed AGM. The SLBA executive rejected them and argued that the Attorney-General’s role as Titular Head of the Bar is ceremonial.

On 31 July 2026, police blocked members from entering the Freetown International Conference Centre at Bintumani, and the AGM collapsed. Mr Kamanda broke down in tears before television cameras at the venue. Shortly after the blockade, he suggested the cancellation aimed to install Ms Egbenda as President. Ms Egbenda’s campaign team called the claim misleading and said she had not colluded with any person or group to win. Mr Kamanda later resigned as PRO and withdrew his bid for re-election.

On 5 August, the West African Bar Association accused the Government of interfering in the SLBA’s affairs. The next day, the Attorney-General presided over an Extraordinary General Meeting in his capacity as Titular Head of the Bar. Members elected a five-member Caretaker Body under Chairman Osman Ibrahim Kanu Esq., and Mrs Gento-Kamara handed over leadership. The outgoing Board’s mandate was due to expire on 18 August.

On 2 October, the Caretaker Body fixed Monday 26 October as the date for the AGM and elections. The meeting is scheduled for 15:00hrs at the Freetown International Conference Centre, Bintumani, Aberdeen, Freetown.

Voter verification closes at 5pm on Saturday 24 October. The AGM opens at 3pm on Monday 26 October.