19/09/2026
MOHAMED GENTO KAMARA TO CONTEST FREETOWN CITY MAYORAL ELECTION IN 2028
By Uncle Sankara Media Platform
19th September 2026
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Calls are mounting among Sierra Leoneans at home and abroad for businessman and former Freetown mayoral candidate Mohamed “Gento” Kamara to consider contesting the 2028 Freetown City mayoral election, with the renewed campaign being amplified through the Uncle Sankara Media Platform.
The calls are coming amid continuing concerns over the condition and development of Freetown, with those advocating for Mr. Gento’s return pointing to sanitation, waste management, drainage, flooding, traffic congestion, market management, urban planning, employment and investment as areas requiring sustained attention under the leadership of Freetown City Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr.
Critics of Mayor Aki-Sawyerr’s administration argue that, despite projects and initiatives undertaken by the Freetown City Council, longstanding challenges remain visible across parts of the capital.
They point particularly to garbage accumulation, inadequate drainage, flooding, traffic congestion, poor management of some markets and public spaces, and what they describe as insufficiently sustainable improvements in some communities.
Gento’s possible return to the mayoral race is also being linked to the closely contested 2023 election. The Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone officially declared incumbent Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr the winner with 288,683 votes, representing 51.36 percent, while Gento received 268,213 votes, representing 47.72 percent. The official result gave Aki-Sawyerr a margin of 20,470 votes.
Despite the official declaration, many of Gento’s supporters continue to believe that he won the previous election, pointing to the narrow margin and what they regarded as his strong support across the city.
Mr. Gento, however, accepted the outcome as announced by the ECSL and did not seek to overturn the commission’s declaration, making the 2023 contest a continuing reference point for those now calling for him to return in 2028.
Gento’s 2023 mayoral ambition was also presented as going beyond the administration of Freetown. At the time, he said one of his major objectives was to promote peace, political dialogue and national cohesion, particularly against the background of heightened political tensions in the country.
Mr. Mohamed Gento Kamara engaged both President Julius Maada Bio and former President Ernest Bai Koroma, with the stated aim of encouraging the two political leaders to dialogue and demonstrate that political differences could be addressed through engagement.
That vision was linked to Chief Gento Kamara concerns about the violence and loss of lives that occurred during the August 2022 disturbances, particularly the events of August 10. He said he wanted to help prevent the country from returning to violence and destruction by using the mayoral platform to promote peace, bring young people together and encourage them to channel their energy into productive activities.
For Mr. Gento Kamara, therefore, the 2023 mayoral race was not presented simply as a contest for control of City Hall. His stated vision was to use the position as a platform for peace-building, youth engagement and national cohesion while also contributing to the development of Freetown. His engagement with both Bio and Koroma became part of that broader approach.
It is this combination of the closely fought 2023 election and Mohamed Gento Kamara previous peace and cohesion agenda that has now become the bridge between his past campaign and the renewed calls for 2028.
Supporters argue that the previous contest demonstrated that he had a substantial constituency in Freetown, while his engagement with the two political leaders showed an attempt to bridge political differences beyond the city.
On sanitation and waste management, Citizens argue that Mayor Aki-Sawyerr and the FCC have not completely resolved the problems of waste collection and environmental cleanliness in the capital. While the Council has undertaken initiatives to address waste management, critics contend that the continued presence of garbage in many communities demonstrates that the solutions have not yet been sufficiently consistent or widespread.
Flooding and drainage are also being raised as areas where Freetonians believe Mayor Aki-Sawyerr’s administration faces significant challenges and failure.
Blocked drains, inadequate drainage infrastructure and settlements in vulnerable areas continue to expose communities to flooding during heavy rainfall.
Freetonians argue that more needs to be done to address the underlying causes rather than relying primarily on responses after flooding occurs.
Traffic congestion, market management and urban planning have similarly featured in criticism of Mayor Aki-Sawyerr’s administration.
Residents and traders have raised concerns about congestion around major commercial areas, unregulated trading, encroachment on roads and pedestrian spaces, and the condition of some public markets. Freetonians maintain that stronger planning, enforcement and investment are required to bring greater order to the capital.
Against this background, Mr. Gento’s supporters are presenting his business experience and private-sector connections as possible tools for a different development approach.
They argue that, Chief Gento Kamara could use relationships within the private sector to attract investment, create employment opportunities and develop partnerships capable of supporting Freetown’s infrastructure and economic growth, while also reviving his earlier message of dialogue and national cohesion.
Whether Gento will ultimately contest the 2028 Freetown City mayoral election remains a decision for him to make.
For now, the calls through the Uncle Sankara Media Platform represent a renewed public campaign urging Mr. Mohamed Gento Kamara to reconsider his political future, with supporters placing municipal development, investment, employment, peace and national cohesion at the centre of their appeal for him to return to the political arena.
