The Public Relations Officer of the Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA), Alfred Kamanda, has resigned from his position, citing what he described as an “outright show of raw power” by the Sierra Leone Police in preventing lawyers from accessing the Freetown International Conference Centre in Aberdeen, where the Association’s Annual General Meeting was scheduled to take place on 31 July and 1 August 2026.
In his resignation letter addressed to the President of the SLBA, Kamanda said his decision was taken “from a place of sadness and anguish” after serving the Association in the role of Public Relations Officer.
At the centre of his resignation is his claim that lawyers were denied access to the conference venue after police officers reportedly informed them they were acting on “orders from above.” Kamanda described the incident as an abuse of power and said he could no longer remain in office in light of what he viewed as interference in the affairs of an independent professional body.
He noted that the SLBA Executive had already committed Association funds to organise the Annual General Meeting and that members had travelled from different parts of Sierra Leone to attend. Despite those preparations, he said many lawyers were left outside the venue for hours and were unable to participate after paying their annual subscriptions and conference fees.
Kamanda apologised to affected members for the inconvenience and disappointment caused by the disruption. He also announced that he was withdrawing from the race for re-election, saying he was no longer interested in seeking another term in office.
The resignation comes at a significant moment for the Sierra Leone Bar Association, as members continue to await developments surrounding the Annual General Meeting and the circumstances that led to restricted access to the venue.
Kamanda’s resignation adds another dimension to the unfolding events surrounding the SLBA Annual General Meeting, with his allegations likely to fuel further calls for clarity over the actions taken at the conference venue and their implications for the independence of professional institutions.