Photo credit: government of Sierra Leone
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Claim: A Facebook user claims that Sierra Leone’s Parliament debated and amended the 1991 Constitution on 28 July 2026.
Verdict: Misleading: While Sierra Leone’s Parliament debated the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Amendment) Bill, 2025 on 28 July 2026, it did not amend the Constitution on that date. The Bill was moved from the Second Reading to the Committee Stage, where its provisions are being considered.
Full Text
A Facebook user, Nasiru Swaray, with over 58, 000 followers, shared a video on the 29th of July claiming that Parliament has already debated and amended the 1991 Constitution and changed several laws. The speaker in the video is emphatic that the Constitution has been amended, presenting the proposed changes as though they have already been approved and taken effect.
As of 10 August 2026, the video had been shared 495 times on Facebook, received 456 comments and 12,700 likes, and had been saved about 1, 100 times.
This video has attracted comments from Facebook users who appear to have understood the information as confirmation that the proposed constitutional changes had already been approved. Some of the commenters wrote:
“Excellent amendments. I appreciate the Government for the amendments…” – Hajist press. com Seeking For Peace
“These changes are good for a developing country like Sierra Leone because it cuts down high expenditure in conducting elections.” – Anthony Mbayo
Other users also thank the speaker for providing the update. These reactions show how the claim could lead some members of the public to believe that the proposed amendments have already become law.
A little context
The Constitution of Sierra Leone Act No. 6 of 1991 has been the subject of reform discussions for decades, with civil society groups and other stakeholders calling for changes to some provisions in the Constitution.
There have been attempts to review the Constitution since its promulgation in October 1991. These include a review process initiated in 1993 under the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC), another review in 2008 led by Dr Peter Tucker, and the Constitutional Review Committee established by Former President Ernest Bai Koroma in 2013 and chaired by Justice Edmund Cowan.
The current constitutional amendment process seeks to address a number of issues relating to governance, elections, representation and fundamental rights. Key electoral changes include reducing the presidential winning threshold from 55 per cent to 50 per cent plus one vote, introducing a Proportional Representation (PR) system for parliamentary elections, setting fixed dates for general elections, increasing women’s representation in governance and amending provisions on presidential removal and the appointment of the Chief Electoral Commissioner.
Parliament began formally considering the Bill in 2026, including a pre-legislative engagement in January. Debate on the proposed amendments began in July.
Constitutional amendments can have significant implications for Sierra Leone’s electoral system, governance and democratic institutions. Presenting proposed changes as already approved could mislead citizens about the country’s current constitutional and electoral framework.
Verification
To verify the claim, Dubawa reviewed reports of Parliament’s proceedings and information on the constitutional amendment process to establish whether the 1991 Constitution was amended on 28 July 2026.
The Public Relations Unit of the Sierra Leone Parliament was also contacted. When contacted via WhatsApp, Sulaiman Bah, one of the Public Relations Officers, said the Bill is still in the Committee Stage and that parliamentary consideration continues on Monday, 10th August.
On 28 July 2026, Parliament debated the Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2025. Following the debate, the Bill was moved from the Second Reading to the Committee Stage, where its provisions are examined in detail before the legislative process can proceed. Parliament later adjourned consideration of the Bill, with debate expected to resume on Monday, 10 August 2026.
The fact that a Bill is debated or moved to the Committee Stage does not mean that the Constitution has already been amended. A proposed constitutional amendment must go through the required legislative process before it can become law. This distinction is important because the Constitution itself remains unchanged until the amendment process is complete and the required legal steps have been taken.
Conclusion
The claim that Sierra Leone’s Parliament “debated and amended” the 1991 Constitution on 28 July 2026 is misleading.
Parliament did debate the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Amendment) Bill, 2025 on that date and moved it to the Committee Stage. However, the Bill remains under consideration and has not yet amended the Constitution.
This report was produced under the 2026 Kwame Karikari Fact-checking and OSINT Fellowship, co-hosted by DUBAWA and the Digital Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Information Disorder Analysis Centre (DAIDAC), with support from the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID).
