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Famous Member of Parliament constituency 030, Honourable Sahr Emerson Lamina has paid tribute to the late Paramount Chief Kaimanchaide of Kono District.
The hounourable stared by giving a short tribute in honour of a dear friend in two folds. Firstly, as an ex-officio (Councillor) of the Koidu New Sembehun City where he served as Mayor and as a Paramount Chief Member of Parliament emeritus of the Sierra Leone Parliament where he is currently serving as a sitting Member of Parliament.
He recalled during his short stay in the UK, he spent most of his leisure time at the British Parliamentary library in London where he did a little research on the scramble and partition of West Africa with much concentration on Sierra Leone and in particular, Kono District. During those oxymoronic period, he came to realize that the critically ill PC Kaimachainde was the grandson of Kaimachainde Baa (Kaimanchainde the Great), the first Paramount Chief of Gbense Chiefdom.
Hon. Lamina pointed out that he happened to be one of the faithful lieutenants to a War Lord named Tao Kabba who became ruler of the whole of Gbense and Fiama prior to the declaration of the hinterland as protectorate in 1896. Consequent upon this declaration, Tao Kabba divided his dominion into Gbense and Fiama Chiefdoms between Kaimanchainde Baa and Kontanday Mbriwa respectively.
He further stated that the seriously ill Paramount Chief is a son of PC Aiah Kaimachainde II and grandson of Kaimanchainde Baa.
He vividly recalled during one of their several conversations, he told him that he attended the EUB Primary School in Koidu and then the Kayima Primary School after which he proceeded to the Albert Academy in Freetown. He later went to the United Kingdom and opted to read law. He told him that he worked for the Secret Service Department of the Embassy of the Arab Emirates while in England.
As the KONSU Njala Unit President in 2003, he monitored the terminally ill PC Kaimachainde’s Paramount Chieftaincy election on January 13, 2003 with maximum concentration and he won by a landslide with 85% of valid votes in his favour beating other contestants that included Komba Bona and Samuel Sahr Max Thorlie at the Koidu Community Center under the supervision of George Banya then Provincial Secretary and Tamba Allieu my then immediate boss as Acting Senior District Officer. It all happened under the watch of two Assessor Paramount Chiefs: PC Kabasie of Sandaru, Penguia and PC Samuel Momoh Solokor of Toli Chiefdom.
As a colleague Councillor, he described him as the host of the City Council, and he gave full support to the council through out his tenure of office hitherto his unprocedural ousting from office as Mayor of Koidu City. He noted that the least said about that, the better.
He described him as one of the development oriented Paramount Chiefs of Kono District. He recalled the Paramount chief built a Secondary School at Yardu, the original Headquarter of Gbense Chiefdom. The Chiefdom elders decided to name the school after him (Kaimachainde Memorial Secondary School) in recognition of his effort to promote Education in Kono.
He further revealed that the terminally ill Paramount Chief also spare-headed the construction of feeder roads and bridges in the Gbense Chiefdom. He also gave 418 acres of land for the ongoing construction of the Kono University of Science and Technology and 100 acres of land for the construction of the offices of MDAs all on probono basis. What a kind hearted Chief! he described.
He asserted In a different chapter, ”as Paramount Chief Member of Paramount emeritus representing the Council of Paramount Chief from Kono between 2007-2012, the Parliamentary hansard accordingly informed me that he was an articulate and constructive debater and an outstanding socialite who frequently used to offer drinks and food to his colleague Members of Parliament in the parliamentary canteen.
During his days as an MP, he was a Member of the Committee on Mines and Mineral Resources, Local Government and Rural Development to name but a few. He was a fine law maker. When he stood to speak to issues in the well of Parliament, he did it with fervour, eloquence and he was very convincing.
I was in his entourage at State House on Independence Day in 2019 when HE President Dr. Julius Maada Bio decorated him with the National Award of Member of the Order of the Rokel”.
He described PC Kaimachainde retreat facility as beautiful at Yardu where he often received and entertained visitors and chiefdom elders with sumptuous meals including goat pepper soup. ‘‘My understanding is that he usually would supervise the preparation of the goat pepper soup served to his guests to ensure quality. Because of his love for goat pepper soup, he said to have nicknamed one of his sons, SO 2, “Baa-kuneh” Kaimachainde, meaning -Goat Head Kaimachainde”. he stated
He further described him as a friendly man and his friendship cuts across political and tribal lines. He touched the lives of many people in a positive way.
He conclude by saying ”I was in Douala, Cameroon, among the delegation of supporters of our darling Leone Stars, when I got information that my friendly Paramount Chief has embarked in a journey to his forefathers, I asked myself why must he do that now? My thoughts ran to a statement in one of William Shakespeare’s classic tragedies which I cherished during my high school days- MACBETH and I quote “… when the news of the death of his wife was broken down to him that she should have died hereafter. There would have been a time for such a word. Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, creeps in this dusty path and all our yesterday has lighted full to dusty death. Out! Out! Out! Brief candle. Life is like a walking shadow a poor player that shruts and frets its hour on the stage and then is heard no more. A tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury but signifying nothing.”
Never you say a man is great until you see his funeral. I have seen this funeral and I can say without an iota of doubt that it is one befitting a great man who made that sad but inevitable journey on the 11th January 2022.
REST IN POWER OUR DEAR PARAMOUNT CHIEF, HON. SAHR FENGAI KORGBENDE KAIMACHAINDE THE 3RD OF GBENSE CHIEFDOM.
