Decentralization in Sierra Leone - Research for Development

Decentralization in Sierra LeoneFor example, a youth leader and the secretary of a WDC almost came to blows during oneFGD in Bo District when the former, complaining that people pay local tax but never seeanything in return, alleged that that public funds are being depleted by corruption. By way ofexample, the youth leader pointed out that government was supposed to subsidizing primaryeducation. If that was the case, why was the local primary school still demanding fees fromparents? The likely explanation, the youth leader went on, was that the subsidy was beingdiverted into private pockets before it reached the school. He offended the WDC secretary bynaming the paramount chief and local councillor as ringleaders in this alleged corruption.Similar suspicions were voiced in other FGDs in Bo District. For example, in one area not alllocal ABOs are benefitting from council seed rice distributions. This omission led anunsuccessful contestant for the SLPP nomination in the last local government elections toaccuse the sitting councillor of selling off some of the rice. Another claim voiced in Bo FGDswas that local councils favour certain contractors because they get kickbacks from them, andconsequently refuse to acknowledge complaints if the work is substandard. MDA staff weresimilarly accused of favouring certain contractors, and it was also claimed that local councilChief Administrators receive orders from Freetown to favour particular contractors.However, a further point raised in these FGDs was that public suspicion towardsgovernmental authorities has become habitual and may be fuelled by misunderstandings asmuch as demonstrable wrongdoing. For example, it was pointed out that when a contractorbuilds a school classroom but does not supply any furniture, it might mean that furniture wasnot included in the contract. But local people might still assume that councillors and teachershad sold off the missing furniture for private gain before it reached the school.The most frequent comment on local services in all of the FGDs was that there were simplynot enough of them. In Makeni for example, FGD participants reported that the governmenthospital rarely has sufficient supplies of drugs and people have to pay for them out of theirown pockets. Primary education is supposed to be free but it was claimed that people arepaying between 6,000 and 10,000 Leones per year in supplementary fees. Participantsacknowledged that education is underfunded and needs support, but also pointed out thatteachers who are not paid by government tend to lack motivation. One youth reported that alesson scheduled for an hour may only last for 40 minutes and parents who don’t pay extrafor stationary and text books may find their children refused entry to exams. Participants alsoemphasised that some services are beyond the financial reach of ordinary people. Farmersmay have been invited by government to form ABOs and pool resources to lease-hiretractors, but poor villagers cannot afford them. One ABO in the Makeni area reportedly rentsout its machine for 80,000 Leones per hour.In Kono, the city council was praised for building a new junior secondary school, and thelocal councils’ school scholarship scheme was also spoken of approvingly. Seed distributionsto ABOs also received a favourable mention and a women’s group reserved special praise forthe recently introduced free health care scheme for pregnant and nursing women and childrenunder five. But again, FGD participants emphasized that the benefits of decentralization areovershadowed by problems that have yet to addressed, e.g. overcrowded and under-resourcedschools and the fact that PHUs in remote areas often run out of drugs and equipment.A woman’s farming cooperative in WARD also spoke approvingly of free health care fornursing mothers and small children and praised the local council’s work in building schoolsand PHUs. WARD was the only survey district in which it was mentioned that CBOs areFanthorpe Consultancy Ltd Page 26