By- Aruna Rashed Toma Bangura

A mammoth crowd on Sunday 14th May, 2023 gathered in the scorching sun at the Grace Hill Top Primary and Secondary School field awaiting on popular politician Mohamed Gento Kamara, the mayoral aspirant for the Sierra Leone People’s Party who had promised to address and solve the issues affecting residents of Constituency 128, Ward 436 but only for them to hear that the man they have all been waiting on will not be present but had sent a representative to address the disappointed crowd.

As the news silently broke out that the multi business magnate has snubbed the huge gathering, the mammoth crowd went into disarray as the youth, children, community elders and stakeholders started complaining and fuming about how deceptive the SLPP mayoral aspirant has been these days as he has deceptively deceived residents of the Hill top community on two formal occasions to address and know their problems. “E nor get pawa et e don begin lie pan we,” a concerned resident and youth said to this medium, adding that they have assembled at the Grace Hill Top school field since early afternoon to late evening to see and hear the good will message of  Gento but got disappointed.

Some community stakeholders and elders who are full fledge supporters and loyalists to the SLPP and Mohamed Gento have registered their dissatisfaction over the hot snub they got on that day fearing that it will make the business tycoon more unpopular in an APC infested community. The absence of Gento has been topical issues in the community as many who have vowed and pledged to vote him come June 24th have told this writer that they will snub him just as he has done to them on two separate formal occasions.

They said that they had wanted Mohamed Gento to visit their community and know first-hand the issues affecting their community ranging from no pipe borne water, intermittent and low voltage electricity supply, inadequate primary and secondary schools, lack of vocational institutes, lack of community and health centres, crooked and death trap roads and so forth.  Another senior community elder and stakeholder who spoke to this writer first showered praises on the SLPP mayoral candidate for constructing the road leading to the community and, he criticized him for incomplete road works, “y e nor for don complete di wok wantem tay kam up to we?”, he queried.

The Hill Top community in Constituency 128, Ward 436 is an APC infested community but the information that Mohamed Gento Kamara is visiting set the whole ablaze as residents young as well as old were all enthusiastic to see and meet with the man whom many have described as a financial miracle and community problem solver and were expecting him to perform such miraculous miracle on this past Sunday. Another faction of the residents were never eager to see and meet with Mohamed Gento as even when the information reached them that Gento will be visiting the Hill Top community, they were not enthusiastic to know, see and meet him in person.

“We go trit am lekeh how e trit we,” Aminata, Southeasterner vented out her frustration explaining that she sat in the hot burning sun from 4:00 pm till 6:45 pm, adding that the representative sent by Gento late to come and meet people dispersing and finding the route to their different households.