By: Benedict AbuBakarr Conteh
Photo of Myk Berewa, Director of Communications, Office of the President, Sierra Leone.
CLAIM
In a Facebook post, Myk Berewa, the Director of Communications in the Office of the Sierra Leonean President, claimed that “Hon. Paran Umar Tarawally has stepped down as Clerk of Parliament. He added that Gilbert Bosco N’habay has been appointed Acting Clerk as of July 3, 2025.”
VERDICT
This is partially true. Hon. Gilbert Bosco N’habay was appointed Acting Clerk of Parliament on July 3, 2025. However, Hon. Paran Tarawally did not “step down;” he was put on leave until further notice by the President.
FULL TEXT
Myk Berewa, a Director of Communications at the Office of the President in Sierra Leone, has claimed on Facebook that,
“After the Clerk of Parliament, Hon. Paran Umar Tarawally, stepped down, the Rt. Hon. Speaker Segepoh Solomon Thomas took to the Well of Parliament on Thursday, 03/07/2025, to inform Members of Parliament that Gilbert Bosco N'habay, the Deputy Clerk, will serve as Acting Clerk of Parliament until further notice.”
Since the post surfaced on Facebook, it has garnered over 300 likes, along with dozens of comments, as of July 17, 2025.
This has drawn mixed reactions from other Facebook users, some of which were highlighted below:
Sulaiman Fofanah “We were told by the press that #ClerkofParliament will be going on leave on the #20July2025. Now you're talking about stepping down. Which one is correct now?”
Salifu Fofanah “True nor dae na u DNA. Did he step down or go on indefinite leave?”
Abdul Meindy Sesay “Congratulations, Elba Bosco. The Eagle has Landed. Viva”
Albert Overcomer Kuyateh “Stepped down? This is contradictory!”
Fayia Amara, “I personally appreciate Paran's action. Though he waited to be pushed.”
The rapid circulation of the post, skepticism from commenters, alongside DUBAWA’s effort to amplify the truth, warranted our researcher to verify the accuracy of this claim.
VERIFICATION
The claim asserts that on July 3, 2025, the Speaker announced the resignation of the Clerk of Parliament, Hon. Paran Umar Tarawally, and the appointment of Gilbert Bosco N’habay as Acting Clerk until further notice. According to the official Parliament bio, Tarawally remained the substantive Clerk and was only sent on administrative leave after an opposition ultimatum was issued.
Gilbert N’habay had already served as Deputy Clerk and Acting Clerk since mid-2024, following an earlier suspension of Tarawally.
“Following the retirement of the Deputy Clerk of Parliament, Mr. Mohamed Lebbie, the Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Segepoh Solomon Thomas Esq., on Tuesday 28/05/2024 announced for the attention of Members of Parliament and the general public that, Mr. Gilbert Bosco Nhabay has been appointed as the Deputy Clerk and Acting Clerk of Parliament until the substantive Clerk of Parliament takes office,” a press release from the Sierra Leonean Parliament reads.
The Clerk of the Sierra Leone Parliament, Hon. Paran Umaru Tarawally, has been sent on leave following a complaint by the Opposition Leader of Parliament, Hon. Abdul Kargbo, of breaches of constitutional provisions and the Political Parties Regulation Commission (PPRC) Act, after he publicly declared his intention to contest for the position of Secretary General of a political party.
A letter dated July 1, 2025, and addressed to Hon. Abdul Kargbo by the Speaker of the Parliament, confirmed that Hon. Tarawally has been sent on leave, effective June 20, 2025.
According to the letter, the decision was made following engagements between President Julius Maada Bio and the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Segepoh Solomon Thomas.
Screenshot of the letter dated 2nd of July, 2025, written by the Speaker of Sierra Leone Parliament.
Multiple Sierra Leonean news outlets confirmed in their reports that the Clerk has been put on leave, as read on Liberty Online TV, Sierraloaded, Owl Press SL and Sarah Kallay Blog, among other platforms.
In the correspondence sent to Hon. Kargbo, President Bio ordered Clerk Tarawally to go on leave effective June 20, 2025.
The official Parliament website still lists Tarawally as Clerk “April 2018–Present,” and no source shows he formally resigned or “stepped down” as Myk Berewa claimed. In short, the nation's president reportedly put him on temporary leave.
The leadership changes stem from an APC boycott of Parliament that began on June 10, 2025. APC Members of Parliament suspended all sittings, demanding Tarawally’s removal because he was reportedly contesting for an executive position in the ruling SLPP, and allegedly violating the expected neutrality of his office. An Opposition Leader in the Parliament, Hon. Abdul Kargbo, said,
“We believe this development undermines the neutrality and integrity of the Clerk’s office, which is expected to be strictly nonpartisan in its service to Parliament. We have called for the resignation or dismissal of the Clerk, as his open involvement in partisan politics is incompatible with the impartial and administrative responsibilities of his office,” AYV Media Empire reported.
Speaker Thomas received the APC’s petition and initially asked them to reconsider, promising a decision within a week. No statement from Parliament confirmed a permanent removal or that Tarawally “stepped down.” The only documented statements in public records are the Speaker and the President confirming Tarawally’s leave.
Our researcher observed that no Parliament press release, official gazette, or credible media report stated that Tarawally resigned from his role as Clerk. However, a news report states that N’habay’s acting role is Clerk of Parliament.
A press release from the official website of the Parliament of Sierra Leone confirms N’habay as the Acting Clerk of Parliament, effective until further notice.
Our researcher contacted Hon. Paran Umar Tarawally via SMS to confirm with DUBAWA whether he had been sent on leave or had resigned, as claimed by Berewa. But he did not respond to the calls and SMS our researcher sent to him.
DUBAWA contacted Hon. Abdul Kargbo by telephone to inquire whether he had received any letter from the Speaker of Parliament regarding Hon. Paran's resignation. Hon. Kargbo confirmed that he had not received any resignation letter from the Speaker concerning Hon. Paran Tarawally. The only correspondence he received was a letter of leave from the Speaker, stating that the President had decided to place Hon. Paran Umar Tarawally, Clerk of Parliament, on leave effective June 20, 2025.
DUBAWA also contacted the Press Secretary at State House to confirm if President Bio ordered the Speaker of Parliament to send Tarawally on leave, but he is yet to respond as of the 18th of July, when this report was filed
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