Why Former British High Commissioner, Peter Penfold Was Granted a Paramount Chief Title In Sierra Leone

Paramount Chief Peter Penfold was British High Commissioner to Sierra Leone between 1997 and 2000.

Penfold attained somewhat of a hero status in Sierra Leone for the role he played in restoring President Kabbah to power and helping the country during the bloody civil war.

It was six weeks into his posting as High Commissioner that the AFRC ousted President Kabbah in a coup. While almost all other diplomatic missions, including the US and UN missions were fleeing Sierra Leone, Penfold refused to go back to Britain, opting instead to help evacuate foreign nationals who wished to leave.
When the AFRC/RUF fighters attacked the Mammy Yoko Hotel which was sheltering around 800 foreign citizens, it was Penfold’s intervention that made the military government to order an end to the violence.

Despite Penfold’s unwillingness, the UK government instructed that he and his remaining staff members be evacuated to Guinea.

While in Guinea, Peter Penfold helped convince the UK Government to lease an unused Chinese restaurant building that was then set up as an office for the exiled President Kabbah.

Penfold’s role in restoring Sierra Leone from the AFRC coupists was the subject of intense scrutiny and criticism by UK politicians. An inquiry reprimanded him for his alleged involvement with the mercenary group, Sandline International which assisted ECOMOG forces in bringing Kabbah back to power. During the inquiry in the UK, thousands demonstrated in support of Penfold, demanding that he be sent back to Sierra Leone.

When his tenure as High Commissioner ended in 2000, Peter Penfold requested the UK government to extend his term. The request wasn’t granted, so Penfold departed Sierra Leone on April 30th 2000; but by that time, he had won the hearts and minds of most Sierra Leoneans as a loyal and supportive friend of the country who took his diplomatic role beyond the narrow confines of protocols and conventionalism.

Penfold was named honorary Paramount Chief in Sierra Leone, and was given the traditional name PC Kumrabai. He is the third person to ever receive such an honour.

Even in retirement, Penfold still maintains ties with Sierra Leone through philanthropy and business investments.