Freetown, 10th February 2026- Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh used the funeral of Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) Chairman Rev. Smart Kelson Senessie to deliver a message that went beyond tribute, offering a lesson in leadership rooted in humility, timing, and purpose.
Addressing mourners, Dr. Jalloh described the day as “a very sad moment in the contemporary history of our party,” while honoring Senessie as a man who “worked tirelessly for this party and consistently demonstrated character, discipline, and service.”
Speaking on behalf of the SLPP leadership and membership at home and abroad, the Vice President extended condolences to the family, stressing that the loss was not theirs alone but one felt by the party and the government.
He highlighted Senessie’s discipline and sense of timing, recalling how after the SLPP’s 2018 election victory, the late chairman chose to honor a prior church commitment before accepting national duty. “That decision showed wisdom, discipline, and respect for timing,” Dr. Jalloh said.
Equally significant was Senessie’s voluntary decision to step aside from party leadership to allow others to lead. It was here that the Vice President drew his defining conclusion: “True leadership is knowing when to serve and when to make space for others.”
The extraordinary turnout at the funeral, Dr. Jalloh noted, was testimony to a life lived with integrity and purpose. “This large turnout speaks volumes,” he said, urging Sierra Leoneans to draw lessons from Senessie’s example of discipline and character.
Through measured words, the Vice President framed leadership not as a pursuit of power, but as a balance of service and selflessness qualities, he said resonate within the SLPP and across the nation at a defining moment in Sierra Leone’s political journey.
