FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Citizens Across Sierra Leone, Civil Society and Media Groups Make Right to Access Information Requests for Legislators’ Contacts
Freetown, Sierra Leone – 20 February 2026
In an unprecedented display of civic engagement, citizens from all 16 districts of Sierra Leone, supported by nine civil society and media organizations, have submitted Right to Access Information (RAI) requests to the Clerk of Parliament for the names and contact numbers of all current Members of Parliament (MPs).
The coordinated effort—led by Citizens’ Barray, Campaign for Good Governance (CGG), 50/50 Group, Budget Advocacy Network (BAN), Campaign for Human Rights and Development International (CHRDI), Reform Initiatives, The Institute for Legal Research and Advocacy for Justice (ILRAJ), The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), and Truth Media—represents citizens’ collective demand for transparency, accountability, and inclusion in Sierra Leone’s democratic processes.
As debates continue on the 2025 Constitution Amendment Bill, citizens have expressed growing frustration at being unable to contact or engage with their elected representatives. Many report not knowing who their MPs are nor how to reach them. This lack of access leaves citizens feeling excluded from legislative processes that shape their rights, governance, livelihoods, and future.
Twenty-eight (28) RAI requests were made to Parliament on 19 February 2026 by individuals from every district and the above-named civil society and media groups, asking for MPs’ names and telephone numbers. Currently, only about19% of MPs have telephone numbers available on Parliament’s website. For the majority of citizens—who live outside Freetown or in rural areas, and who cannot send emails or meet their MPs in person—phone access remains the most practical means of engagement.
The civil society and media partners remind Parliament that under the Right to Access Information Act 2013, it is legally obligated to respond to these requests and to proactively disclose how citizens can reach their elected officials. Making MPs accessible nationwide would not only fulfill the spirit of transparency and accountability, but also strengthen trust between Parliament and the people it represents—helping to build a truly Open Parliament.
The civil society groups and citizens jointly call on Parliament to act quickly in providing the requested information and commit to ongoing transparency in the future. Citizens across Sierra Leone are encouraged to continue using the Right to Access Information Act to request information about their representatives.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Citizens’ Barray Communications Team at communications@citizensbarray.org or +232 74 681 581.
***END***
