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Davida Spaine Solomon

Claim: A Facebook post published by Richey J Blog claims that Sierra Leone is among the few countries in West Africa with double-decker buses. The post is accompanied by images showing modern double-decker buses branded with the words “SIERRA LEONE.” 

Verdict: False. There is no evidence that Sierra Leone has introduced double-decker buses into its public transportation system. The images shared in the post also display characteristics consistent with AI-generated content.

Full Text

A Facebook post published by Richey J Blog claims that Sierra Leone is one of the few countries in West Africa operating double-decker buses. The claim is accompanied by three images depicting modern double-decker buses branded with the words “SIERRA LEONE” and the national flag.

The post attracted significant engagement on its 63,000-strong Facebook page, receiving 2,000 reactions, 86 comments, and 12 shares. Many users welcomed what they believed to be a major improvement in Sierra Leone’s transportation sector, while others questioned whether the buses actually exist in the country.

Sallieu Jalloh asked, “Is it true? Because I’m in Free Town, I never see them. If it’s true, congratulations to whoever brought them in our country ma ma Salone dae pam grow oo wow.”

Samuel Smith “Wow, that’s good. Sierra Leone to the top!”

Similarly, many users have posted it on their platforms, as seen here and here.

Given the public interest generated by the post and its potential to mislead the public about developments in the transport sector, we investigated whether Sierra Leone has officially introduced double-decker buses into its public transport system.

Verification

To verify the claim, we reviewed official government sources, media reports, and transportation-related institutions in Sierra Leone.

Our investigation found no announcement from the Ministry of Transport and Aviation, the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA), the Sierra Leone Public Transport Authority (SLPTA), or any other government institution confirming the acquisition, launch, or operation of double-decker buses in Sierra Leone.

As part of this fact-check, we contacted Sierra Leone’s Minister of Transport and Aviation, Ambassador (Rtd.) Colonel Alhaji Fanday Turay Esq., to verify the claim. 

When asked about the post made by Richey J Blog and the images circulating on social media, the minister responded: “I am not aware of this development.”

A closer examination of the images using Illuminarty AI, a content analysis and AI detection tool, reveals an 84.2% AI probability.

Conclusion

The claim that Sierra Leone has introduced double-decker buses is false. The images used to support this narrative were fabricated.

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).