GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF KOIDU NEW SEMBEHUN CITY COUNCIL
HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL BACKGROUND
A statutory instrument created the Koidu New Sembehun City Council (KNSCC) in 1969.
It is divided into three electoral wards namely:
Tankoro East, Tankoro West and Gbense.
Between 1969 and May 2004, the Council comprised two Councillors per Ward,
the Paramount Chiefs of Gbense and Tankoro Chiefdoms, and one representative from each of the
two Chiefdoms, the Senior District Officer the District Medical Officer, Town Planning Officer,
the Area Engineer of the Ministry of Works and the S.L.R.A. ( Sierra Leone Roads Authority ).
However, after the July 2008 Local Government elections, the composition changed
based on the provisions of the Local Government Act 2004.
The current Council comprises 15 Councillors,
7 Elected Councilors from Tankoro and 8 Councilors from Gbense with a Mayor elected
from the two Chiefdoms, the Paramount Chiefs of Gbense and Tankoro Chiefdoms respectively
as ex-officio-members.
Representatives of the key line ministries have been co-opted into the
Council Technical Planning Committee but not as Councillors.
Between 1969 and 2004, the Council constructed several community infrastructures
like access roads in the City, the Gbense and Tankoro markets, the main lorry park,
the community field, Fachima hall, the unfinished office building at the main lorry park,
and the procurement of road maintenance machinery.
Sadly, all of those infrastructures were completely destroyed during the war.
However, after the Local Council elections in 2008, effort has been made to (re) construct
those facilities and to do new ones. The public VIP latrines in Tankoro Camp and
the main lorry park respectively, the completion of the ground floor of the
administrative building at main lorry park, construction of metal garbage bins,
rehabilitation of the Fachima Hall office spaces, construction of culverts at John Kellie Street
and Teidu, completion of the Tankoro Market:, completion of the Hill Station Market,
cultivation of IVS rice and the construction of a grain store and drying floor
are some of the projects undertaken.
In progress are the construction of three (3) six class rooms school
with offices and stores in Koeyor, Kensay and Mbaoma II respectively and
construction of an additional market Complex at the Gbense Market site.
Politically, for most of its existence, appointed Management Committees
had administered the Council.
There had been only three elections; the first in 1990, 2004 and the July 2008
Local Government elections.
After the end of the decade long war and the reintroduction of the decentralization process,
the first democratic multi-party Local Government election was held on 22nd May, 2004.
In compliance with the provisions of the Local Government Act 2004,
the 12 Councillors elected
Mrs. Mary Sia Musa, the former Chairperson of the last Management Committee
as the Chairperson of the current Council.
In mid 2006, her title was changed to Mayor after the Town was granted City status by a
Presidential Proclamation ratified by the Parliament.
However, in December 2006, Councillors Felix Dauda Fofoh (then Deputy Chairperson and Chairman of Council
Development Planning Committee) and Sas Lebbie (then Chairman of Council Budget
and Finance Committee) resigned at their respective positions as well as
membership of the ruling S.L.P.P. Party through which membership they were elected as Councillors.
Mr. Momodu Yusufu Condeh who was assigned by the government of Sierra Leone
first occupied the position of Chief Administrator which was created by the Local Government Act
with additional authority and responsibility to replace the Town Clerk.
Coincidentally, he was replaced by Mr Joe Fayia Nyuma.
However, elections conducted in July 2008 brought Sahr Musa Sessie Gbeinda
as Mayor, and a council of 15 Councillors.
Earlier Local Government Service Commission recruited the following staff:
Tamba S. Musa, Sahr Emmanuel Yambasu, Kai Daniel Gborie, Abdul Bangura,
Sulaiman Gassama, Tamba Amadu Kabba to serve as
Chief Administrator, Deputy Chief Administrator, Finance Officer, Accountant, Procurement Officer
and Monitoring and Evaluation Officer respectively.
In July 2009, Mr. Edward Alpha and Mr. John Jabba have been recruited by L.G.S.C. as
Development Officer and Internal Auditor respectively.
In 2012 Sahr Emerson Lamina was elected Mayor of the Council and happens to be the
youngest Mayor in the Country and the Youngest Head of all the 19 heads of Councils
in Sierra Leone.
He was elected alongside with Fifteen Councilors, four of whom are from the
SLPP ( Sierra Leone People's Party and 11 from the APC ( All People's Congress ).