Freetown, Sierra Leone – 5 December 2025: Prominent women’s rights advocate and peace mediator Dr. Nemata Majeks-Walker has turned down her recent appointment by President Julius Maada Bio as a board member of the state-owned Guma Valley Water Company, citing the need to preserve her neutrality and past traumatic experience in public office.
The decision, communicated in a widely circulated letter dated 3 December, comes barely a week after the presidential announcement on 27 November. Dr. Majeks-Walker, founder of the 50/50 Group which campaigns for greater female representation in politics, told the President she felt “genuinely bad” about declining but insisted the move was unavoidable.
“I know first-hand the severe operational challenges Guma Valley faces – from broken-down vehicles to chronic logistical failures that leave thousands without reliable water,” she wrote, underlining her initial eagerness to help turn the struggling utility around.
However, she revealed that memories of being abruptly removed as Chairperson of the Teaching Hospitals Complex Board in 2022 – without explanation or due process – still weighed heavily. Compounding that experience, her family and professional colleagues urged her to protect her non-partisan standing.
“As an active member of the 50/50 Group and the Network of Eminent Women Peace Mediators, both organisations demand strict political neutrality to maintain credibility in holding government and opposition accountable,” Dr. Majeks-Walker explained.
Accepting a presidential appointment, she argued, risked being perceived as alignment with the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), potentially damaging years of advocacy work.
Sources close to the presidency expressed surprise but respect for her position, noting that President Bio had personally selected her for her technical expertise and reputation for integrity.
Dr. Majeks-Walker closed her letter by pledging continued support for national development “in ways that do not compromise the impartial platforms I currently serve” and thanked the President for his confidence.
The Guma Valley Water Company, responsible for supplying Freetown and surrounding areas, has faced years of criticism over intermittent supply, ageing infrastructure and financial mismanagement. Her withdrawal leaves one seat vacant on the newly constituted board.
