By Mahamood Fofana
Some attendees at the Presidential Town Hall held in Makeni on 30 June 2026 have criticized the event, arguing that it did not provide the open and interactive engagement they had expected with President Julius Maada Bio.
The forum, the first presidential town hall of its kind to feature a sitting President in Makeni, was intended to give residents of Bombali District an opportunity to raise concerns and discuss issues affecting their communities.
One attendee, Ibrahim Koroma, described the programme as “scripted,” claiming it failed to reflect the purpose of a genuine town hall meeting.
“This is not what a town hall means. How do you interview people who are not residents of Makeni or Bombali to ask questions? And how do you entertain fewer than ten questions in the hall during a two-hour programme with the President?” Koroma said.
He alleged that much of the event focused on highlighting the government’s achievements and future plans, particularly the constitutional review process and the proposed 2026 Population and Housing Census, rather than allowing residents to freely engage the President.
“The whole event was a scripted symposium for the President to explain his government’s achievements. It did not provide the level of public engagement many Makeni residents were expecting,” he added.
Another attendee, Mabinty Feremusu Conteh, welcomed President Bio’s commitment to begin construction of the long-delayed Makama Road, describing the announcement as positive. However, she questioned the President’s comments regarding electricity supply in Makeni.
“During the dry season, we experienced one of the worst power outages in more than 15 years. EDSA attributed the situation to low water levels at the Bumbuna Dam. Even now, in June, many residents continue to experience unreliable electricity supply,” she said.
Sheku Kamara also challenged the President’s assertion that between 60 and 70 percent of Makeni residents do not pay their electricity bills.
“If that claim is accurate, EDSA should provide the data to support it, especially since the government has consistently emphasized evidence-based decision-making,” he said.
Attempts to obtain clarification from the regional office of the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) were unsuccessful, as officials declined to state whether the agency had supplied the data referenced by the President.
However, a source within EDSA and the Electricity Generation and Transmission Company (EGTC), who was not authorized to speak publicly, said the President’s remarks did not reflect the utilities’ official regional position and suggested the comments were made from his personal perspective based on his previous experience as Minister of Energy.
