Former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara Esq., has launched a blistering critique of the government’s recent gazetting of 30 Establishment Orders that create two new districts, Bandajuma and Kpanguima, and eight new councils, describing the move as legally ambiguous, politically manipulated, and economically dangerous.
In a detailed analysis titled _”Redrawing the Map, Reshaping Power: A Critique of New Districts Establishment Orders (Bandajuma & Kpanguima)”_ published yesterday, the former APC flagbearer aspirant argued that while the government is framing the move as bringing governance closer to the people, the process is fundamentally flawed.
Mr. Kamara, a seasoned legal practitioner, questioned the orders’ legal basis, saying the creation of the new districts lacks any solid demographic justification.
“It is premature because it is not based on credible, validated census data, which has not yet been conducted,” Kamara argued.
He further accused the government of failing to engage in meaningful public consultation, noting that “the decision to divide the capital was made without any consultation whatsoever with the people for whom it will have the biggest impact.”
He cited the position of the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC), which has accused the government of pursuing administrative restructuring “without transparency, data, or proper community engagement.”
The most politically charged aspect of Kamara’s critique is his assertion that the redistricting is a tool for electoral manipulation rather than administrative efficiency.
“We strongly condemn the plan as undemocratic, illegal, and politically motivated, and a dangerous provocation aimed at manipulating the electoral system for the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party’s (SLPP) benefit,” he stated.
According to Kamara, a growing political view suggests that the creation of new districts and the division of Freetown are designed to create more parliamentary seats and local government positions in areas that could favour the ruling SLPP in future elections.
To put the debate in context, the former Attorney General recalled that redistricting is not new. The Falaba and Karene Districts were created in 2017 under the APC administration.
However, he drew a clear distinction: “Those redistricting decisions were duly informed by the controlling census at the time, the 2015 Census. That census recorded populations of 205,353 for Falaba and 285,546 for Karene.”
Unlike those, he said, the Establishment Orders creating Bandajuma and Kpanguima are “decisions not informed by census data or consultation with affected communities.”
Beyond politics, Kamara warned of serious practical consequences.
He pointed to fears that redrawing boundaries could fragment communities and unsettle historic land arrangements, quoting the Chief Minister himself, who has acknowledged “tensions arising from recent de-amalgamation processes, particularly disputes over land ownership, boundaries, and relations among neighbouring paramount chiefs.”
He also raised alarm over cost. Each new council — including splitting Freetown into two city administrations and creating three new rural councils — will require its own Mayor or Chairman, administration, and budget.
“This would demand substantial financial resources at a time when the government has been unable to meet its existing financial commitments,” Kamara said, adding that the division is seen as creating additional management and coordination challenges rather than addressing the core issue of fragmented urban management.
Most importantly, he warned that the move could introduce a “vengeful cycle in district delimitation, repeating itself whenever a new government is formed,” thereby creating a worrying prospect for long-term stability and paving the way for a de facto one-party system of government.
In his final analysis, Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara Esq. concluded that while government presents the new districts and councils as a decentralization initiative, “lifting the veil exposes a process perceived as legally questionable, politically motivated, and socially and economically risky, with many stakeholders calling for a more transparent, evidence-based, and consultative approach to any such fundamental changes to our country’s administrative map.”
Efforts to reach the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs for comment were unsuccessful up to press time.