In a 2023 article, journalist Raymond A. Kamara described Freetown as “not only our capital city but one of Africa’s most significant historical landmarks and a powerful symbol of resilience, freedom, and the African diaspora’s homecoming.” His words captured pride in the city’s legacy. Today, however, that pride is overshadowed. The capital that once stood as a beacon of sanctuary and resilience now struggles to preserve even the dignity of its people, both living and dead.
Uncollected corpses, many linked to the spread of the synthetic drug Kush, lie abandoned on sidewalks and roadsides for days. The Freetown City Council (FCC) reports a sharp increase in these cases, with body collections rising from occasional incidents to near-daily occurrences since 2022.
As of 13 August 2025, the FCC recorded 142 corpses collected—136 men and six women. By 11 September, an additional 32 bodies were retrieved, most of them young males. Residents express anguish at the indignity, with one witness remarking: “The way I saw that body transported, I would not treat my dog that way.” Social media further amplifies the outcry, as removals often occur only after public pressure.
The legal framework has left the FCC struggling. Neither the Local Government Act 2022 nor the Public Health Act 2023 clearly defines responsibility for unclaimed bodies in public spaces. While councils have traditionally provided pauper’s burials, the surge in deaths has forced the FCC to create a burial team at its own expense—without a budget allocation for gloves, disinfectants, masks, or body bags.
Sierra Leone’s 1991 Constitution affirms the sanctity of human dignity, yet gaps in governance leave corpses unclaimed, eroding trust and compounding the humanitarian crisis. Experts and city officials argue that systemic reform is needed: amending the Public Health Act 2023 to explicitly assign responsibility for unidentified bodies to councils, backed by medical oversight, clear protocols, and sustainable funding.
Freetown’s history is rooted in resilience and freedom. To honour that legacy, leaders must address the Kush epidemic, reform laws, and allocate resources to safeguard dignity—even in death. Without such action, the city’s promise of sanctuary risks fading into a legacy of neglect.
Source:Africa Publicity
