Edward Turay

Edward Mohamed Turay (24 October 1945 – 25 June 2023) was a Sierra Leonean politician and diplomat. He was leader of the opposition All People's Congress (APC) from 1996 to 2002. He was the Sierra Leonean High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 2010 until his death in 2023.[1]

Edward Mohamed Turay
Sierra Leonean High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
In office
12 March 2010 – 25 June 2023
Preceded bySulaiman Tejan-Jalloh
Succeeded byVacant
Personal details
Born(1945-10-24)24 October 1945
Makeni, Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate
Died25 June 2023(2023-06-25) (aged 77)
London, England

Background

Education and early years

Turay was born on 24 October 1945.[2] He came from the Temne tribe of northern Sierra Leone, and was from Makeni. He was a barrister by profession,[3] having studied law at Manchester University,[4] and been called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1976.[5] Returning to Sierra Leone in 1979, he was a magistrate for three years before engaging in politics in 1982.[5] He was the founder and consultant of Eddie Turay & Associates, a leading law firm in Freetown, Sierra Leone.[5]

Political career

In 1986 Turay won a seat as a Member of Parliament for Bombali Central one Constituency. He was re-elected to parliament from Bombali District's Constituency 33 in the August 2007 parliamentary election, receiving 73.2% of the vote.[6]

Turay was leader of the All People's Congress (APC) from 1996 until 2002. He contested the 1996 national election for president, but lost the election after gaining just 5.1% of the first round of voting, good enough for fifth place. He was then Minority Leader of the House of Parliament from 1996 to 2002. Ernest Bai Koroma since took over as parliamentary leader and presidential candidate of the APC, beginning in 2002. On 25 September 2007, when the members of parliament were sworn in, Turay was appointed leader of the Majority Party, in which position he was also Leader of Government Business.[7]

In January 2010, Turay was appointed Sierra Leone's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,[8][9] accredited to eight other states: Cyprus, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Greece.[5] Turay held the position for the rest of his life.

In May 2014, Turay was awarded the Grassroot Diplomat Initiative Award under the Business Driver category for his extensive work on galvanising diaspora communities across Europe, bringing better visibility to his country and people.[10]

Writing

Turay was the author of an autobiographical book entitled The Prophecies of a Father (AuthorHouse, 2013),[11][12] which "revolves around the traditional beliefs and faith of his late father, Paramount Chief Kande Turay of Sanda Chiefdom. Turay’s father comes to represent a benevolence and acceptance of integrating Western beliefs and education with traditional African beliefs."[13]

Death

Turay died in London on 25 June 2023, at the age of 77. At the time of his death, he was still the Sierra Leonean High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.[14]

References
  1. The London Diplomatic List". Archived 11 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Former Sierra Leone Presidential Candidate Edward Turay is Dead
  3. "Turay, Edward M.", FindLaw.
  4. "Diamond in the rough", Embassy magazine 32.
  5. "H.E. Mr. Edward M. Turay, High Commissioner for UK and Northern Ireland" Archived 4 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Sierra Leone High Commission.
  6. Parliamentary election results from the National Electoral Commission Archived 26 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. Aruna Turay, "124 Newly Elected Parliamentarians Sworn in Sierra Leone." Archived 23 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Awareness Times, 26 September 2007.
  8. "Sierra Leone High Commission", Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
  9. "Eddie Turay presents credentials to Queen" Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Sierra Leone High Commission London, 12 March 2010.
  10. "Grassroot Diplomat Who's Who". Grassroot Diplomat. 15 March 2015. Archived from the original on 20 May 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  11. Sheka Tarawalie, "Eddie Turay Shakes APC Again: A Review of 'The Prophecies of a Father' Ambassador Edward M. Turay's Book" Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Awareness Times, 14 November 2013.
  12. H. E. Ambassador Eddie M. Turay, The Prophecies of a Father, AuthorHouse, 2013, ISBN 978-1491880814.
  13. PRWeb, "Sierra Leonean Ambassador Shares Experiences in New Memoir", 11 August 2014.
  14. Honourable Eddie Turay passes away
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