The Chairman of the Karene District Council Abdul Kandeh Turay has called on the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to conduct systems and processes review of his Council. He was speaking at an engagement the Commission had with public officers on the contents of three systems and processes review reports on the Ministry of Water Resources, National Telecommunications Authority (NaTCA) and the Sierra Leone National Fire Force held at the Karene District Council in Kamakwie on Thursday 21st March, 2024.
Chairman Turay said he had recognised that the prevention work of the ACC is vital in preventing corruption, as well as ensuring effective and efficient service delivery. “I am personally inviting the ACC to conduct a systems and processes review of my Council as a means of promoting transparency in my district and to set the pace for future generations,” he said.
Responding to the request, Deputy Director of Public Education and Outreach, ACC, Abubakarr Turay, welcomed the request made by the Chairman of the Council and asked him to write a letter to the Commissioner to formally make the request. He said corruption prevention is part of the mandate of the Commission which is normally done through systems and processes review of public offices and the mainstreaming of anti-corruption policies meant to protect the resources of public institutions. “The Commission normally makes systems and processes review interventions through requests from an institution. We could also take upon ourselves to go to a public institution based on the risk assessments done on that particular institution. This is more so the case with revenue-generating institutions,” Mr Turay furthered. However, he said, when an institution makes a request, the Commission always responds positively. A similar request was made by the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) last year resulting in a comprehensive review of the systems and processes of the Association. The Report of that review containing findings and recommendations, Mr Turay noted, was presented to SLAJ by the ACC during the Association’s Annual General Meeting held in Kenema last year.
