FREETOWN, Monday 27th October 2026 – Administrator and Registrar General, Martina Baindu Egbena Esq., has been elected as the new President of the Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA), marking a historic turn in the leadership of the country’s premier legal body.
Mrs. Egbena was elected on Monday during the SLBA’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Elective Conference held in Freetown, after months of postponements and internal disputes over the electoral process. She will succeed outgoing President, Tuma Adama Gento-Kamara Esq., who was elected in Kenema in May 2024.
According to results declared by the SLBA Electoral Committee, Egbena won with a landslide, defeating her opponents on a platform of unity and reform under her popular slogan “One Bar, One Voice, One Commitment – Uniting the Bar.”
The election, which was contested by hundreds of qualified, registered and fully paid-up members of the Bar, brings to an end a turbulent period for the Association.
The SLBA AGM had been postponed at least three times – first in June 2026 and again in August 2026 when lawyers were denied access to the Bintumani Conference Centre, leading to accusations of political interference from both camps.
Who is Martina Egbena?
Martina Baindu Egbena is one of Sierra Leone’s most experienced female lawyers with over 13 years at the Bar.
Before her election, she served as Administrator and Registrar General of Sierra Leone, heading the Office that manages company registration, intellectual property, copyright and patents. She previously served as Director of Legal and Corporate Affairs at the National Revenue Authority (NRA), State Counsel in the Ministry of Justice, and legal adviser to institutions including the Financial Intelligence Unit, Constitutional Review Committee, and Sierra Leone Legal Information Institute.
She also previously served as Treasurer of the Sierra Leone Bar Association, where she earned a reputation for transparency and accountability.
She has extensive experience in both civil and criminal litigation in the Superior Courts of Judicature and has led several high-profile prosecutions for the State.
In her campaign across the country – from Freetown to Kono, Bo, Makeni and Kenema – Egbena promised to:
– Restore unity and end divisions within the Bar
– Ensure equal access to training, scholarships, mentorship and CPD for lawyers in the regions
– Defend the rule of law, judicial independence and constitutional democracy
– Strengthen collaboration with the Judiciary, Sierra Leone Police and law reform institutions
– Promote digital transformation and continuous legal education, including on the Criminal Procedure Act 2024
Her election is seen as significant for gender representation in the legal profession. She becomes the third woman to lead the SLBA in its over 50-year history, after Mrs. Glenna Thompson and Mrs. Tuma Gento-Kamara.
Legal luminaries including former Attorney Generals, Benchers, and representatives of the General Legal Council attended the conference.
In her acceptance speech, President-elect Egbena thanked members for their trust and called for reconciliation.
“This victory is not for one camp. It is for every lawyer who believes in One Bar. The time for division is over. We must now elevate the Bar, protect justice and build Sierra Leone together,” she said.
She is expected to be sworn in immediately alongside her new executive, which includes Nicky Spencer-Coker as Vice President and Caroline Sesay as General Secretary, and will serve for a two-year term until 2028.
The SLBA is established under the Legal Practitioners Act of 1964 and is the sole professional body for all Barristers and Solicitors in Sierra Leone.
