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A coalition of stakeholders under the Bombali Development Actors (BDA) umbrella confronted the leadership of the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) and EGTC North at the EDSA Makeni office on 30 April, demanding urgent action after weeks of prolonged power outages that have plunged the city once celebrated as a “city of light” into darkness.
Residents, business owners, civil society actors, legal practitioners, politicians, and media representatives joined the BDA in a tense engagement with EDSA officials to press for immediate restoration of reliable electricity.
The meeting exposed conflicting explanations from EDSA about the cause of the reduced supply and intensified calls for transparency and accountability.
BDA Chairman Mohamed Sorie Conteh condemned the ongoing disruption and warned of its crippling effect on local commerce. “It is difficult to accept that Makeni has moved from being a city of light to enduring prolonged blackout,” he said, urging authorities to treat power restoration as a necessity.
Makeni Mayor Abu Bakarr “Lamtale” Kamara described the situation as unacceptable and a “victim of circumstances,” invoking past controversies over a generator relocation that resulted in fatalities. He said the engagement must produce concrete results, particularly the restoration of the megawatts required for a stable supply.
EDSA Engineer North and Northeast George Seiya told the gathering that EDSA’s role is limited to distribution and that Makeni and Magburaka are currently receiving 4 megawatts from the Bumbuna Dam, down from the previous 5–5.5 megawatts. He attributed the reduction to water retention and other hydrological factors affecting generation.
That account appeared to contradict an earlier statement by EDSA’s Public Relations Officer Sulaiman S. Koroma, who had said the reduction resulted from diversion of power to Freetown to address outages in the capital. The inconsistency drew sharp criticism from stakeholders.
Hon. Peter Yamba Koroma, Member of Parliament for Bombali, said the conflicting narratives raise serious concerns and pledged to take the matter to Parliament. He emphasized that national-level approvals must reflect realities on the ground and called on EDSA to operate with greater independence and transparency.
Local business owners and residents described mounting economic losses and daily hardship. Small enterprises that rely on refrigeration, lighting, and electronic services reported interrupted operations and rising costs from alternative power sources. The mayor and BDA representatives warned that prolonged outages threaten livelihoods and public safety.
