The Speaker of Parliament of the Sierra Leone Parliament, Segepoh Thomas has cautioned social media users of Contempt of Parliament.

Contempt of Parliament, which is the obstruction of parliamentarians or parliament in carrying out its duties, is seen as a form of protection of the integrity and authority of Parliament.

The Speaker warned locals of Contempt as in the 1991 Constitution which could be aided by the Cyber Law to prosecute people that fall short.

The Speaker’s attention on this was brought to by the Leader of Government Business, Mathew Sahr Nyuma who referenced Section 95 of the 1991 Constitution which protects the obstruction of Parliament and its officials in the discharge of their duties by individuals or groups.

Nyuma said the said Section is not in anyway serving as deterrent for people not to express their views but rather to protect officials of the House.

“The public can understand that we don’t want them to say that we are trampling on their civic rights but also to be aware that there are others too who need to be protected,” he said.

He added that citizens should respect Parliament which he referred to as the “House of Responsibility”.

“People cannot go to social media and try to bastardise us,” Nyuma said. “We are public figures but that does not mean that you don’t have to respect us. We are also fathers and mothers.”

He said Parliamentarians have done immensely for the country and their communities and that people should accord them their due respect.

Leader of Sierra Leone’s main opposition in Parliament, All People’s Congress (APC) party, Abdul Kargbo also supported Nyuma’s assertion. “Most of what I saw on social media was misinformative,” he said.

Nyuma’s outburst in the Well followed several social media posts on the Finance Act which was in Parliament passed last week. The Act approved some tax increments including a 5 percent increment on imported rice, Sierra Leone’s staple food starting in January 2026.

Locals went berserk both on and off social media criticising Parliamentarians and the government of being unreasonable considering the current economic hardship in the country.