Sierra Leone Group Seeks Inquiry Into Waka Fine Bus Procurement and Revenue

A Sierra Leone civil-society group has called for a parliamentary examination of the procurement, financing and operation of the Waka Fine public bus service, citing concerns about maintenance and the handling of revenue from a fleet of 50 vehicles. The call was made on 2 November 2026 at a presentation in Parliament, according to separate reports by A-Z Multimedia and Myepic Online.

The Native Consortium and Research Centre presented what it described as a post-mortem examination of the project. Its executive director, Edmond Abu, said the group wanted the procurement agreement, fleet-maintenance records and revenue allocations scrutinised. The group claimed that 11 buses were out of service. TFNOS has not obtained the underlying fleet register or the group's full report, and the number cannot be treated as an independently verified count.

A-Z Multimedia reported that the group questioned a stated bus procurement cost of approximately US$7.5 million and asked how operational revenue was being spent. Myepic Online described the same public presentation but used an approximate US$7 million figure and gave a different date range for the group's claimed 31-month revenue calculation. Those discrepancies require the original contracts, accounting period and financial statements before any definitive amount can be reported as expenditure, revenue or loss.

The underlying transport programme is real. In June 2024, the World Bank said its Integrated and Resilient Urban Mobility Project had supported the creation of Metro Transport Company and the introduction of 50 high-capacity buses. That confirmation of the programme and fleet size does not independently validate the consortium's procurement-price estimates, allegations about the condition of vehicles on delivery or its revenue calculations.

Transport authority acknowledges repair difficulties

In an interview reported on 6 October, Sierra Leone Public Transport Authority director-general Isaac Ken Green acknowledged that maintenance problems and shortages of spare parts had limited the number of Waka Fine buses available. He said a common workshop and driver training were planned, described the vehicles as remaining in good condition, and pledged to get all 50 back on the road before the end of 2026.

That account is relevant to the consortium's concerns but does not settle the exact number operating on any particular day. The authority's year-end pledge is a prospective commitment, not proof that all buses are already in service. Similarly, a report of grounded vehicles is not proof of defective procurement, a contractual breach or fraud.

Metro Transport Company previously said it had made a first-year profit of NLe3.8 million, according to reporting on its October 2025 annual general meeting. A reported profit is not the same as gross ticket revenue, cash available for fleet renewal or money paid to suppliers. A proper comparison would require the audited accounts and the contractual allocation of fares, subsidies and maintenance costs.

Documents needed next

The immediate unanswered questions concern the signed bus-supply contract and any amendments, acceptance and warranty records, daily fleet-dispatch logs, audited Metro Transport Company accounts, ticketing-service commissions and the balance of any fleet-renewal fund. The consortium has asked Parliament and public authorities to examine these matters. TFNOS has not confirmed that a parliamentary investigation has been formally opened or that the World Bank has accepted a complaint.

The report's presentation is a verifiable public event, not a finding that public funds were stolen or that a supplier committed wrongdoing. A follow-up should establish the disputed amounts and vehicle condition from original records, give the transport ministry, operator and supplier a fair opportunity to respond, and report any official inquiry or corrective action.