Kajokeji County Commissioner Ben Yengi. [Gurtong | Waakhe Simon Wudu]
By Waakhe Simon Wudu
JUBA, 07 October 2012 [Gurtong] - Yengi identified road as a major challenge that hampers development in the county and insisted unless it is fixed other challenges in the different sectors will remain constant.
“This nation of South Sudan is not going to develop unless we fix roads. Roads are like arteries of the body whether they are feeder roads or main roads owned by our government of South Sudan or state,” he told Gurtong in an interview.
“Unless those roads are fixed, we can never develop in South Sudan. So I want the State and us to work together to fix roads. I would like to see roads that go to the areas where there is a good agricultural production to be fixed so that we can bring the food to Juba instead of being brought from Uganda or Kenya,” he added.
Yengi was sworn into office last Tuesday as the new County Commissioner of Kajokeji replacing his predecessor Muki Batali.
He said other key issues his leadership will critically look in to are agriculture, health, education and business in the county.
He said improving these sectors will require collective approach from all the actors and called on the people to fade off the thoughts of over dependency from government rather than independently taking bold responsibility in addressing some of the key issues that retard development in the county.
“Am not really happy with the fact that every one thinks every thing has to be done by the government. The citizens and all of us who are in the government have to work together to make any contribution we can make in order to fix these roads,” he said.
Kjaokeji is one the counties in Central Equatoria State (CES) that have up to date remained unconnected to its capital, Juba compared to the rest of the four CES counties of Terkeka, Lainya, Yei and Morobo.
Passengers boarding from and to Juba and Kajokeji in the last three months have spilled big public outcry following critical challenges along Juba-Kajokeji road where numerous tributaries have blocked the road due to heavy rains.
In a bid to tackle the other key issues, Yengi pointed out his plans to establish several advisory councils for youth, elders, religious leaders, education and agricultural to adequately scan best policies on how to tackle the challenges in the county.