Makeni

Government

The city of Makeni is one of Sierra Leone's six municipalities and is governed by a city council which is headed by a mayor in whom executive authority is vested. The mayor is responsible for the general management of the city and is elected directly by the residents of Makeni in municipal elections held every four years. , the mayor of Makeni is Abubakarr Kamara ("Lamtales") of the All People's Congress (APC). Kamara won the June 2023 Makeni mayoral election, garnering 93.38% of the total votes cast.

Like most parts of Northern Sierra Leone, Makeni is a reliable political stronghold of the ruling All People's Congress (APC) political party. The city and the entire Bombali District overwhelmingly support the APC in a large majority in Presidential, Parliamentary, and local councils elections.

Demographics

The population of Makeni is ethnically diverse, though the Temne people make up the largest ethnic group in the city. The Krio language is used as the primary language of communication among the different ethnic groups in the city. The population of Makeni is predominantly Muslim, though with a large Christian minority population in the city. The Wesleyan Methodists are the largest and main Christian denomination in Makeni.

Sport

Like the rest of Sierra Leone, Football is by far the most popular sport in the city. Makeni is home to one of Sierra Leone's biggest and oldest football clubs called the Wusum Stars. The club plays in the Sierra Leone National Premier League, the top football league in the country. The club represents Makeni and the entire Bombali District. They won the Sierra Leonean FA Cup in 1979. Makeni has also played host to matches of the Sierra Leone National football team's under-17 and under-20 teams at the city's Wusum Sports Stadium.

Media

The local radio station that serves Makeni and the Bombali District is Radio Mankneh 95.1. Sierra Leone's national radio and television stations, SLBC (Sierra Leone Broadcasting Cooperation) are on the air in the city, as well as The BBC World Service, CNN International, and several other private stations are on the air for those who have satellite.

Education

The city is home to the University of Makeni, the largest private university in Sierra Leone. St. Francis Secondary School is also located in Makeni, one of the most prominent secondary schools in Sierra Leone.

Health

Diseases endemic to Makeni are yellow fever and malaria. Healthcare in Makeni is provided by a mix of government, private and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) shifted to a decentralized health system structure after the end of the civil in war in 2002, in an effort to increase coverage.

One regional government hospital and the Holy Spirit Hospital provide most healthcare services, in addition to private clinics. The Holy Spirit Hospital is the largest private hospital in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. Traditional medicine forms part of the primary health care system in Makeni.

In 2019, the First Responder Coalition of Sierra Leone (FRCSL) was formed in Makeni by five national and international organizations: the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society, LFR International, Agency for Rural Community Transformation, the Holy Spirit Hospital of Makeni, and the University of Makeni. 1,000 community members from Makeni were trained as first responders and equipped with a first aid kit by the Coalition. 4,529 lay first responders were trained in total between July and December 2019, who went on to treat 1,850 patients over the following six months.

Aid from China

In March 2010, the Chinese ambassador to Sierra Leone, Qiu Shaofang traveled to the city on an official visit to donate one 16 kVA generator and nine sewing machines.

Notable people from Makeni

Makeni is the hometown of former Sierra Leone's president Ernest Bai Koroma, as he was born and raised in the city. Additional notable people from Makeni are:

• Brima Koroma, football star
• Sylvanus Koroma, the father of Ernest Bai Koroma
• Edward Turay, lawyer
• Michaela DePrince, international ballerina

References

References

1. (2006). "Republic of Sierra Leone: 2004 Population and Housing Census: Analytical Report on Population Distribution, Migration and Urbanisation in Sierra Leone". Statistics Sierra Leone.
2. (12 April 2013). "World Gazetteer: Makeni - profile of geographical entity including na…".
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5. (15 February 2008). "Language and National Identity in Africa". [[Oxford University Press]].
6. Wilson, Alusine Rehme. (5 July 2023). "Ex-military officer, born from a family of 30, elected Mayor of Makeni". Awoko News.
7. Ministry of Education Science and Technology, Sierra Leone
8. (16 November 2015). "Sierra Leone: Bombali District Profile - Sierra Leone". UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
9. (2019-07-04). "Makeni: Coalition of First Responders formed".
10. Thomas, Abdul Rashid. (2019-07-05). "Sierra Leone's road accident First Responder Coalition to save thousands of lives".
11. (2020-09-03). "Evaluation of a Lay First Responder Program in Sierra Leone as a Scalable Model for Prehospital Trauma Care". [[Injury (journal).
12. (2010-03-27). "China Donates to Makeni Council". Sierra Express Media.