Makeni
Encyclopedia
Makeni is the largest city in the Nortern Province
of Sierra Leone
and the fifth largest city in Sierra Leone. The city is the capital of Bombali District
and had a population of 80,840 in the 2004 census and a current estimate of 105,900 http://www.mongabay.com/igapo/Sierra%20Leone.htm. The city lies 110 miles east of Freetown
.
form of government, which is headed by a mayor
, in whom executive authority is vested. The mayor is responsible for the general management of the city and for seeing that all local and national laws are enforced. The mayor is elected directly by the residents of Makeni. The current mayor of Makeni is Moses Musa Sesay
; who replaced Alhaji Andrew Kanu
after the recently concluded Sierra Leone Local Government Elections in July 2008. He is a member of the ruling All People's Congress
(APC). The city along with the entire Bombali District has always been a stronghold of the APC.
. The club currently playing in the Sierra Leone National Premier League
, the top football league in the country. The club represents Makeni and the entire Bombali District. They won the Sierra Leonean FA Cup
in 1979.
, CNN International
, and several other private stations are on the air for those who have satellite
.
Benevolent Islamic Secondary School
St Francis Secondary School
UMC Secondary School
Birch Memorial Secondary School
AL-Harrkan Islamic Secondary School
St Joseph Secondary School
The Sierra Leone Muslim Brotherhood
MCA Secondary School
Ahmadiyya Secondary School
Higher Institutions of Learning include
The University of Makeni (UNIMAK)
The Northern Polytech
and Temne make up the largest ethnic groups. The city has always been a stronghold of the ruling All People's Congress
(APC).
Northern Province, Sierra Leone
The Northern Province is one of the four provincial divisions of Sierra Leone. It comprises five Districts and covers an area of 35,936 km² and with a population of 1,718,240 . Its administrative and economic center is Makeni...
of Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
and the fifth largest city in Sierra Leone. The city is the capital of Bombali District
Bombali District
Bombali District is district in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. It's capital and largest city is Makeni, which is also the fifth largest city in Sierra Leone and the largest city in the north. The other major towns in the district include Kamakwie, Kamabai, Masingbi and Binkolo...
and had a population of 80,840 in the 2004 census and a current estimate of 105,900 http://www.mongabay.com/igapo/Sierra%20Leone.htm. The city lies 110 miles east of Freetown
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
.
Government
The city of Makeni is governed with a city councilCity council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
form of government, which is headed by a mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
, in whom executive authority is vested. The mayor is responsible for the general management of the city and for seeing that all local and national laws are enforced. The mayor is elected directly by the residents of Makeni. The current mayor of Makeni is Moses Musa Sesay
Moses Musa Sesay
Moses Sesay is the current Mayor of the City of Makeni in the Bombali district of Northern Sierra Leone.Mr Sesay is the sixth of eleven children born to Edward Sallu Sesay and 'Tha' Kadiatu Sesay presently residents at the Azzolini Highway, Magbente Junction; in the outskirts of the City of...
; who replaced Alhaji Andrew Kanu
Alhaji Andrew Kanu
Alhaji Andrew Kanu is a Sierra Leonean politician from Makeni, Bombali District. Kanu is the mayor of Makeni and he is a member of the ruling All People's Congress .-References:...
after the recently concluded Sierra Leone Local Government Elections in July 2008. He is a member of the ruling All People's Congress
All People's Congress
The All People's Congress is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, the other is the Sierra Leone People's Party . The party was founded in 1960 by Pa Mucktarru Kallay, Allieu Badarr Koroma,Alhaji Sheik Gibril Sesay C A Kamara-Taylor, S A T Koroma and Abu Bakarr S Bangura...
(APC). The city along with the entire Bombali District has always been a stronghold of the APC.
Sport
Makeni is home to one of Sierra Leone's biggest and oldest football clubs called the Wusum StarsWusum Stars
The Wusum Stars of Bombali commonly referred to as simply Wusum Stars, is a Sierra Leonean professional football club based in Makeni, Sierra Leone. They are member of Sierra Leone National Premier League, the top football league in Sierra Leone. The club represent the Bombali District. Their home...
. The club currently playing in the Sierra Leone National Premier League
Sierra Leone National Premier League
Sierra Leone National Premier League is the top football league in Sierra Leone. It was founded in 1967. The league is sponsored by the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank, one of the major Sierra Leonean banks. East End Lions and Mighty Blackpool are the two biggest and most successful clubs. The...
, the top football league in the country. The club represents Makeni and the entire Bombali District. They won the Sierra Leonean FA Cup
Sierra Leonean FA Cup
Sierra Leone FA Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is the national knockout cup competition in Sierra Leone. It was established in 1967. The competition is run by the Sierra Leone Football Association...
in 1979.
Media
The local radio station that serves Makeni and the Bombali District is Radio Mankneh 95.1. Sierra Leone's national radio and television stations, SLBC (Sierra Leone Broadcasting Cooperation) are on the air in the city, as well as The BBC World ServiceBBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
, CNN International
CNN International
CNN International is an international English language television network that carries news, current affairs, politics, opinions, and business programming worldwide. CNN is one of the world's largest news organizations. It is owned by Time Warner, and is affiliated with CNN, which is mainly...
, and several other private stations are on the air for those who have satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
.
Education
Like the rest of Sierra Leone, Makeni has an education system with six years of primary school (Class 1-6), and six years of secondary school (Form 1-6); secondary schools are further divided into Junior secondary school (Form 1-3) and Senior secondary school (Form 4-6). Primary schools usually start from ages 6 to 12, and secondary schools usually start from ages 13 to 18. Primary Education is free and compulsory in government-sponsored public schools.Notable secondary schools in Makeni
{|class="wikitable"Benevolent Islamic Secondary School
St Francis Secondary School
UMC Secondary School
Birch Memorial Secondary School
AL-Harrkan Islamic Secondary School
St Joseph Secondary School
The Sierra Leone Muslim Brotherhood
MCA Secondary School
Ahmadiyya Secondary School
Higher Institutions of Learning include
The University of Makeni (UNIMAK)
The Northern Polytech
Ethnicity
The population of Makeni is ethnically diverse, although the LimbaLimba people (Sierra Leone)
The Limba people is a major ethnic group in the Republic of Sierra Leone. They form the third largest ethnic group in the country, about 8.5% of Sierra Leone's total population ....
and Temne make up the largest ethnic groups. The city has always been a stronghold of the ruling All People's Congress
All People's Congress
The All People's Congress is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, the other is the Sierra Leone People's Party . The party was founded in 1960 by Pa Mucktarru Kallay, Allieu Badarr Koroma,Alhaji Sheik Gibril Sesay C A Kamara-Taylor, S A T Koroma and Abu Bakarr S Bangura...
(APC).
Aid from China
In March 2010, the Chinese ambassador to Sierra Leone, Qiu Shaofang traveled to the city on an official visit to donate sixteen KVA generators and nine sewing machines.Notable people from Makeni
- Ernest Bai KoromaErnest Bai KoromaErnest Bai Koroma is the fourth and current President of Sierra Leone. He was sworn in as President on 17 September 2007 at the State House in the capital Freetown, shortly after being declared the winner of a tense run-off in the 2007 Sierra Leone presidential election with 54.6% of the vote over...
, president of Sierra Leone - Edward TurayEdward TurayEdward Mohammed Turay is a politician in Sierra Leone. He was leader of the All People's Congress from 1996 until 2002. He contested the 1996 national election for president; however, Turay lost the election after gaining just 5.1% of the first round of voting, good enough for fifth place...
, lawyer - Brima KoromaBrima KoromaBrima Koroma is a professional Sierra Leonean footballer. He currently plays as a striker for Anagennisi Dherynia in the Cypriot First Division.-Notes:...
, football star - Daddi CoolDaddi CoolDaddi Cool is a Sierra Leonean-born Guinean reggae musician. He was born and raised in Makeni, Sierra Leone. Daddi Cool served in the Sierra Leonean army, but fled the country during the early years of the Sierra Leone civil war and moved to Conakry, Guinea.In 1998, he released his most...
, Sierra Leonean-born Guinean reggae musician - Moses Musa SesayMoses Musa SesayMoses Sesay is the current Mayor of the City of Makeni in the Bombali district of Northern Sierra Leone.Mr Sesay is the sixth of eleven children born to Edward Sallu Sesay and 'Tha' Kadiatu Sesay presently residents at the Azzolini Highway, Magbente Junction; in the outskirts of the City of...
, mayor of Makeni - Mohamed KamaraMohamed KamaraMohamed Kamara , widely known as Medo, is a Sierra Leonean footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for FK Partizan in the Serbian SuperLiga.He also has a Finnish citizenship.-Biography:...
, football star