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Tribal Authorities in Malal Chiefdom have elected Momodu Sheku Kamara, an agriculturalist, the Chiefdom’s Paramount Chief after a tense but peaceful two rounds of voting in Rochen Malal, Malal Chiefdom headquarter town.
The Chiefdom is in Tonkolili District, Northern Sierra Leone.
Held on October 28th 2024, the elections were contested by eight candidates all of whom were declared eligible to run for Malal Chiefdom Paramount Chieftaincy. In other words, the eight candidates were declared eligible during the last Declaration of Rights Ceremony in the Chiefdom.
Since the death of the late Paramount Chief Bailal N’soila II, Malal has been under a caretaker called Regent Chief.
During the elections, James Bellah Kamara, the main challenger of the now Paramount Chief who came first did not secure the 55% threshold to declare him Paramount Chief of Malal.
A run off was immediately declared between James Bellah Kamara the winner in the first round and Momodu Sheku Kamara, the now Paramount Chief. The atmosphere was tense but peaceful as the Sierra Leone Police provided security throughout the voting process.
Surprisingly, the elections took a U – turn after Kamara who is now Paramount Chief Bailal N’soila III beat his main rival James Bellah Kamara who took the lead during the first round. The coincidence was that both candidates are from the same Bailal N’soila, the last ruling house to rule the Chiefdom.
According to the results announced by the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone, Momoh Sheku Kamara, the Paramount Chief elect secured 293 votes while James Bellah Kamara scored 168.
Immediately after Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone [ECSL] announced the final results, the Provincial Secretary of Northeast region who’s acting as Returning Officer for all Paramount Chieftaincy elections in the region declared Momodu Sheku Kamara winner and Paramount Chief elect of Malal Chiefdom.
Just after the announcement, the new Paramount Chief was escorted by security officers from the election venue to an unknown location. The process was marked by jubilations around the Chiefdom. According to residents of Malal, the new Paramount Chief is expected to unify the Chiefdom especially at a time when the elections have polarized community and left division among residents.
