Honoring Paramount Chief Paul Tamba

Paramount Chief Paul Tamba W. Manga was a respected pharmacist, healthcare pioneer, community leader, and Paramount Chief of Gbane Kandor Chiefdom in Kono District, Sierra Leone. Throughout his life, he dedicated himself to improving healthcare and serving the people of Sierra Leone.

Paul Tamba W. Manga was born on January 26, 1948, in Koardu Village, Kono District, Sierra Leone. He was born to Paramount Chief Manga and Simigie Manga. He received his primary education in Koardu Village before attending Yengema Secondary School in Yengema Town.

After completing secondary school, he enrolled at the Nixon Memorial School of Nursing in Segbwema, where he trained as a nurse. Upon graduation, he worked at NDMC Hospital in Yengema. During his service there, he earned a scholarship to study medicine in Germany. Although he traveled to Germany, he chose to return to Sierra Leone after experiencing racial discrimination and other challenges faced by minorities.

Determined to continue his education and serve his country, he enrolled at the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences in Freetown, where he studied pharmacy. After earning his pharmacy degree, he returned to Yengema, the community where he had grown up, with a vision of improving healthcare for its residents.

In 1980, together with his wife, Janet Sia Manga, a dedicated nurse-midwife, he founded Kasiyama Clinic in Yengema Town, Kono District. The clinic became one of the area’s most trusted healthcare facilities, providing medical services to the people of Yengema and many surrounding communities.

During the Sierra Leone Civil War in the 1990s, Kasiyama Clinic remained the only functioning medical facility in Yengema, providing lifesaving care during one of the nation’s most difficult periods.

As the conflict intensified, he relocated to Kabala, where he established St. Paul Pharmacy, continuing his commitment to serving communities in need. In 1996, he returned to Yengema to resume operating Kasiyama Clinic. However, renewed fighting in 1997 once again disrupted life in the region. He later moved to Freetown before settling in Kenema, where he worked with the Catholic Mission. While in Kenema, he also established A&P Drug Store on Combema Road, further expanding access to pharmaceutical services.

His dedication to public service extended beyond healthcare. In 2004, he successfully contested the Paramount Chieftaincy election and became the Paramount Chief of Gbane Kandor Chiefdom in Kono District. As Paramount Chief, he worked to promote peace, development, and the welfare of his people.

In May 2007, he traveled to the United States with his eldest son, Sahr Peter Manga, to attend the wedding of his eldest daughter, Alice Sia Manga.

Paramount Chief Paul Tamba W. Manga passed away in 2012, leaving behind a legacy of compassionate healthcare, courageous leadership, and dedicated service to Sierra Leone.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Janet Sia Manga, who passed away in 1995.

Children

• Sahr Peter Manga

• Paul Tamba Manga Jr.

• Hellen Yieh Manga (1982–2021)

• Marian Finda Manga

• Anita Kumba Manga

• Sia Simingie Manga

• Alice Sia Manga

• Emmanuel Aiah Manga (1988–2022)

• Sahr David Manga (1991–2020)

Legacy

Paramount Chief Paul Tamba W. Manga is remembered as a man who devoted his life to healing the sick, strengthening his community, and leading with integrity. Through Kasiyama Clinic, St. Paul Pharmacy, A&P Drug Store, and his years of service as Paramount Chief, he touched countless lives across Kono, Kabala, Kenema, and beyond. His legacy continues through his family, the institutions he founded, and the many people whose lives he impacted.