By: Andrew Chokpeleh
Bo District, 13th January 2026 – More than six months without food supplies has left children at the Bo Remand Home eating only once a day, sparking fears of unrest and raising urgent questions about the financial and administrative framework sustaining Sierra Leone’s correctional facilities.
In an interview with Truth Media, Madam Melrose Karminty, the Minister of Social Welfare, confirmed that the remand homes in both Bo and Freetown are facing serious challenges with food supply.
She explained that this is due to the many bureaucratic procedures the Ministry must go through in order to access resources to purchase food and other items to be sent to remand homes across the country. She said she has been engaging the relevant authorities to ensure that these concerns are addressed.
Madam Karminty also stated that there have been instances where remand homes received food and other supplies from philanthropists without the knowledge of the Ministry. She cited a clear example when Caritas donated rice to be shared among the less privileged and elderly people, and the Ministry decided to reserve part of the rice for remand homes, only for Caritas to later inform the Ministry that they were already supplying rice directly to the remand homes and other vulnerable institutions, and therefore the Ministry should not divert part of that supply.
The Minister said that when she contacted the officials operating the remand homes in Freetown, they initially denied receiving such supplies. It was only after Caritas drew their attention to the matter that they admitted they had indeed been receiving support from them.
She further explained that the unfortunate situation became clearer when she changed the supervisor of one of the remand homes and appointed another person who began to regularly update the Ministry on supplies received from philanthropists. She said the Ministry faces serious challenges in securing adequate resources to properly run the homes, and that donations play a major role in keeping these homes operational. She added that when individuals personalize or withhold information about supplies, it only adds to the burden on the Ministry.
Karminty said the Ministry is working to address the problem and to find sustainable ways to ensure that the homes receive a steady supply of food. She stressed that the Ministry does not want a situation where young offenders resort to unrest or are forced to live in deplorable conditions, as they are human beings who deserve a dignified life regardless of the crimes they may have committed.
She concluded by saying that the Ministry will continue to engage relevant line ministries to ensure that the issue is resolved as soon as possible.
