Mohammed M. Kamara Wins ISRA Speakership

Student Mohammed M. Kamara, representing Montserrado County has been elected as speaker of the University of Liberia Interim Student Legislative Assembly, ISRA following the November 3, 2021, election held by the Office of Student Affairs on the Fendall Campus of the University.

Representatives from each of the 15 counties-based organizations voted to elect officers to the ISRA.

Student Kamara obtained seven of the thirteen valid votes cast while his closest rival, Prince Dennis obtained six votes.

Kamara will take over as speaker from incumbent K. Edward Norman who has since graduated but continued to run the affairs of the ISRA in the absence of elected officers until November 3, 2021 when election was held for new officers.

Others elected were student Blessed Ella Greene, Grand Cape Mount County, as Deputy Speaker, and student Emmanuel Mahn, Bomi County, as Secretary General.

When inducted into office, the speaker of the ISRA will preside over a called session to primarily carry out vetting, examination, and confirmation of the four political parties’ nominees to be elected as President, Vice President, Student Representative, (SR) to the UL Council, Secretary General and Financial Secretary of the University of Liberia Student Union, (ULSU).

The parties include the Student Unification Party, (SUP), the Student Integration Movement, (SIM), the Student Democratic Alliance, (STULDA) and the Progressive Student Alliance, (PROSA).

The ISRA is the lawmaking arm of the University of Liberia Student Interim Leadership, ULSIL and is headed by a speaker, deputy speaker and general secretary for a two academic year.

ULSIL is the umbrella governing structure comprising ISRA, the Student Judiciary Council and the Executive branches.

ULSIL was founded as an interim student leadership since 2011 when active student politics were banned following a brutal student protest over claims of fraud in the election process that year.

Dozens of students, faculty and staff were wounded and thousands of dollars in properties were damaged during the fracas that lasted over a week.

Consequently, the UL Administration had to put an immediate halt to student politics in an effort to restore law and order on the campuses of the university.

Before the coming of ULSIL, officers of ULSU also served as Student Advisory Council to the UL president on the formulation and implementation of major policies at the university.

Among them are policies regarding tuition and fees and the management of scholarships meant for studenst.at the University of Liberia.

To contest any position in ULSU election, the counties-based organizations must nominate one student each to the ISRA, and one nominee from the Departmental Disciplined Based organizations to the SJC and two nominees from each of the four political parties who shall be vetted and certified.