The Sierra Leone Bar Association has set 26 October 2026 for its Annual General Meeting and election of a new leadership, following months of uncertainty over the running of the organisation.
The meeting will be held at 15:00 at the Freetown International Conference Centre, Bintumani, in Aberdeen, according to a notice issued by the Association’s Caretaker Body on 2 October.
A separate notice signed by Caretaker Body Secretary Menisa Sesay lists the election of directors among the items on the agenda.
Members will elect a president, vice-president, general secretary, assistant secretary general, treasurer, assistant treasurer and public relations officer.
The Caretaker Body said members who paid their conference and subscription fees, with bank slips showing payment on or before 29 May 2026, will be eligible to vote or stand for election.
It said detailed procedures for nominations, voter verification and polling would be issued through its official channels.
The election follows the establishment of a five-member Caretaker Body at an Extraordinary General Meeting on 6 August.
Osman Ibrahim Kanu, the Solicitor-General, was appointed chairman, with Hindolo M. Gevao, Joseph Egbenda Kapuwa, Menisa Sesay and Lamin M. Bayoh as members.
The caretaker administration was established after the Association failed to hold an election at an Annual General Meeting in July.
Police prevented members from entering the Bintumani venue, according to accounts from people who were present, including the outgoing president. Officers were reported to have cited instructions from above. No voting took place and no result was declared.
The West African Bar Association subsequently criticised the intervention, describing it as interference with the independence of the legal profession.
The dispute has its roots in the Association’s 2024 elective conference in Kenema, where Tuma Adama Gento-Kamara, also known as Tuma Adama Jabbi, was declared president after defeating Wara Serry-Kamal and Augustine Sorie-Sengbe Marrah.
Anti-Corruption Commission Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala served as returning officer.
Some members challenged the process, citing disputes over the voters’ register, membership records and the conduct of the election. The divisions contributed to the emergence of the Lawyers’ Society, an alternative professional body.
When the caretaker administration was established in August, the outgoing president said its role was to safeguard the Association’s assets and records and prepare the way for members to elect their own leaders.
She stressed that no election had taken place and that the caretaker arrangement should not become a substitute for an electoral mandate.
The 26 October election will therefore be the first scheduled vote to choose a new Bar leadership since the caretaker body took over.
The 29 May eligibility cut-off could also be significant, having previously been disputed amid disagreements over membership lists and whether individuals listed had paid the required fees.
The Caretaker Body has not yet published the detailed rules that will govern the verification of voters and candidates.
