Capitol Times Newspaper

Magistrate Harold Kamara Marks One Year at Mile 91 Court

By: Chief Thomoh Kapen

It has been one year since the opening of the Mile 91 Magistrate Court in Tonkolili District, a development that has quietly but significantly changed how justice is accessed across surrounding communities.
When the court was officially inaugurated on 1st July 2025, it came with a simple but powerful expectation: that people in far-flung chiefdoms should no longer have to travel long distances to have their cases heard or to seek legal redress. One year on, that expectation is gradually becoming a lived reality.
At the centre of the court’s daily operations is His Worship Magistrate Harold Kamara, the first magistrate to preside over the jurisdiction. Since taking up duty, he has overseen a steady flow of cases and helped establish the court as a functioning institution within the district’s justice system.

For residents of Malal, Kholifa Mabang, Yoni Mabanta, and Mamaila Chiefdoms, the impact has been practical. Disputes that once required travel to other towns can now be handled closer to home. For many, this has meant reduced costs, faster hearings, and a stronger sense that justice is no longer out of reach.
Within the past year, the court has dealt with a wide range of matters, from minor offences to more serious criminal cases. One of the recurring concerns before the court has been drug-related offences, particularly involving young people. The court’s handling of such cases has been part of broader national efforts to address substance abuse and its impact on communities.

Beyond the courtroom, the Mile 91 Magistrate Court has also come to represent a wider policy direction within the justice system: decentralisation. The idea is straightforward but important — that justice should not be concentrated in major urban centres while rural communities remain underserved.
That vision has been championed at the highest level of the judiciary, under the leadership of the Chief Justice, whose reforms have supported the establishment of courts in locations where access was previously limited or delayed.
For many community members, the presence of the court has brought a quiet but noticeable shift in confidence. People are more willing to report cases, attend hearings, and engage with the legal process, knowing that the system is now physically closer and more accessible.

As the Mile 91 Magistrate Court marks its first anniversary, the reflection from within the district is not only about infrastructure, but about trust, how a building has gradually become a place where people believe their voices can be heard.
In the words of many residents across the benefiting chiefdoms, the court has brought justice “home,” and with it, a renewed sense that the law is not distant, but present in their daily lives.
One year on, the Mile 91 Magistrate Court stands as one of the growing symbols of accessible justice in Sierra Leone.
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At the 1st NCTVE inaugural meeting, Director Osman Kabba and Chairperson Edleen Elba described the Council as a reform in Sierra Leone’s TVET sector aimed at building an accountable skills system aligned with national development priorities. They emphasized TVET as central to human capital development. Council is mandated to improve quality standards, strengthen industry relevance, expand access and inclusion, and promote innovation for future skills development. The goal is to produce competent, job-ready graduates who drive productivity, entrepreneurship, and sustainable national economic transformation.
Director Osman Kabba confirmed partial payments of Le1,554,603 towards outstanding arrears.