By: Andrew Chokpeleh
Freetown, 23rd January 2026 – Councillors at the Freetown City Council have raised concerns over what they describe as repeated acts of disrespect by Chief Administrator Rahman Tom Farma toward the Council’s structures.
They cited Section 32(6) of the Local Government Act, which stipulates that the Chief Administrator should be appointed by the Mayor. However, they allege that the Ministry of Local Government imposed Farma on the Council.
Councillor Unisa Kamara said development has slowed in their communities and, by extension, across Freetown because the Chief Administrator has refused to work with the Council to serve the people who elected them. He argued that Farma believes his position, coming from the central government, makes him superior to the political heads, and therefore, he does not take instructions from the Mayor.
Kamara further stated that for the past two weeks, the Chief Administrator has refused to sign documents intended to fast-track development in the city, despite repeated requests from the Mayor. He added that Farma has also declared he will no longer recognize resolutions passed by Council committees, even though the Local Government Act grants the Council authority to establish standing orders and committees.
Kamara noted that even when the majority of councillors vote in favour of such resolutions, the Chief Administrator still refuses to sign or acknowledge them. According to him, these actions are stagnating development within the municipality.
Meanwhile, Councillor Emile B. Turay, Chairman of the Committee on Transport and Street Parking, revealed that the Council had secured a heavy-duty vehicle from the Japanese government worth over US$400,000. He said the vehicle had been instrumental in cleaning the city and reduced the need for outsourcing similar services.
Turay explained that when the Committee sought to verify whether the vehicle was still at the Council’s works compound, the engineer in charge of the garage informed them that the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) had towed it away without the knowledge of either the Committee or the Council.
Upon contacting SLRSA, councillors were told the vehicle had already been vandalized. It was only after the matter was reported to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) that the garage supervisor, Ady, confessed the vehicle was being kept in a restricted location inaccessible to the Committee.
Turay added that when Ady was detained at CID, the Chief Administrator personally intervened to secure his release. He further disclosed that information available to the Council indicates the main suspect in the case, a man known as “Bomba,” is currently on the run. According to Turay, the Chief Administrator has continued to downplay the seriousness of the matter, warning that his actions could ultimately result in the loss of the vehicle without any accountability.
