By Alpha Amadu Jalloh
When Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella boldly appeared on AYV TV and declared, “Judge me in 2026,” it was not a message of humility or service. It was a political stunt on AYV. A carefully calculated move to revive a fading ambition. A move that reeks of vanity over vision. To many Sierra Leoneans watching, the question was not whether to judge him in 2026, but whether he should still be speaking of leadership at all. Because for the people, the judgment has already been delivered.
In 2023, Dr. Yumkella lost his parliamentary seat in Kambia to a relatively unknown candidate. It was not just an electoral defeat. It was a public verdict. It was a rejection from the very people he once claimed to represent. The loss did not come because his opponent was more qualified. It came because Kambia had seen enough. They had seen a man who once stood against the political establishment return quietly to that same establishment. They had seen someone who promised transformation, only to deliver transition. Transition back to the same SLPP machine he once condemned.
Dr. Yumkella entered Sierra Leone’s political space with a golden international résumé. Former Director-General at UNIDO. A man of words. A man of the world. But with all his brilliance, the one thing he failed to grasp was that leadership is not a brand. It is a bond. It is not built on press conferences or AYV interviews. It is built on presence, honesty and consistency. And that is where he failed.
The National Grand Coalition was his brainchild. It was born as a protest against the entrenched politics of SLPP and APC. For a moment, it gave hope. It gave youth and professionals something to believe in. But under his leadership, the party became a one-man show. The grassroots structure was weak. Internal democracy was ignored. And when things got difficult, Dr. Yumkella jumped ship. He disbanded the hopes of thousands and quietly found his way back to the SLPP. He said it was for national unity. But Sierra Leoneans know better. It was for political survival. It was for proximity to power.
What makes it worse is the very language Dr. Yumkella once used to describe the APC and SLPP. He famously referred to them as “Alhassan and Alusine,” a symbolic phrase meant to expose their sameness in failure and betrayal. To him, they were two sides of the same coin. Two parties that had taken turns misruling Sierra Leone since independence. That powerful phrase resonated with the disillusioned. It gave hope that someone had finally called out the political cartel for what it was. But ironically, he would go on to fold the very movement that challenged “Alhassan and Alusine” and rejoin one of them.
So now, with the 2028 general elections approaching, he wants to reset the story. He wants to reintroduce himself. His appearance on AYV is part of that plan. But the Sierra Leonean people are not forgetful. They are not fools. They know that the man asking to be judged in 2026 is the same man who abandoned his own movement. The same man who placed personal ambition over public service.
What happened to the NGC? Under his leadership, it collapsed. Not because of external forces, but because its leader lost direction. He treated it as a temporary platform to test the waters rather than a permanent structure to build national change. And when it no longer served his purpose, he let it die. No apology. No accountability. Just silence and rebranding.
He speaks of vision. But where is the record? Where are the policy victories? Where is the grassroots transformation? When he represented Kambia, the people expected development. They expected advocacy. They expected presence. But what they got was distance. They watched their representative attend more international summits than community meetings. And when the time came to vote, they chose someone who understood their daily struggles. Someone who did not disappear after elections.
The AYV stunt may have impressed the few who still want to believe in the myth of KKY. But for the majority, it was another act in a political theatre they have grown tired of. A performance without substance. A speech without truth.
He wants to be judged in 2026. But Kambia already judged him. They judged his priorities. They judged his politics. And they found him lacking. That is not a matter of opinion. It is a matter of electoral fact.
Leadership is not about polished interviews. It is not about sounding presidential. It is about sacrifice. It is about walking with the people when the cameras are off. It is about building structures that outlive you. Dr. Yumkella had the opportunity to lead a genuine third force. He had the platform. He had the support. But he chose to fold.
Now, he wants to be seen as the future again. But how can someone who abandoned the present be trusted with the future?
Sierra Leone does not need more political stunts. It needs sincerity. It needs loyalty to the people, not to power. It needs leaders who stay true even when it costs them influence. Leaders who do not jump from principle to convenience the moment their interests are threatened.
As he prepares his speeches and positions himself ahead of 2028, he should remember this. The people of Sierra Leone are not waiting for 2026 to judge him. They already have. And until he addresses that judgment, no appearance on AYV will cleanse the memory of what he walked away from.
