The chair and four commissioners are appointed by the President and serve five year renewable terms, and thus do not enjoy the benefit of tenure. As with its precursor, the NCD, the NCDHR's appointments are "subject to such terms and conditions as may be fixed in their respective letters of appointment." They can be removed from office only by the President for "inability to perform the functions of his office, whether arising from infirmity of body or mind or for stated misconduct."205

The chair and all four regional commissioners come from an educational background as professors and/or lecturers, and were recruited from Sierra Leone's two main universities. One had been a long serving civil servant before becoming a lecturer. The chair and commissioners represent several of the countries main ethnic groups: the Temne, Krio, Mende and Loko. The first chair, Dr. Kadi Sesay, resigned in October 1999 to take up a post as a cabinet minister. A new chair, Prof. Joe Pemagbi, who was previously the NCDHR commissioner for the southern region, was appointed in December 1999. Prof. Pemagbi's former position was filled by another educationalist Bob Carter. The NCDHR has approximately twenty-five employees including administrative personnel, one part-time lawyer and many specialized in public education.