By Ephraim Modi D.S
Hundreds of citizens of Kajo-Keji County on Thursday challenged the government to fix feeder roads linking the County Administrative center to the main hospital and the airstrip as the roads were becoming impassable.
The air strip, the main town, the health science institute and the South Sudan People’s Defense Force (SSPDF) military barracks were other key installations that are being held out of ease of access to the administrative center.
Speaking from Kajo-Keji via phone yesterday, Commissioner Erasto Kenyi Michael confirmed that the day was declared for cleaning which they took it to repair the road that has been distracting a lot of the activities in the area.
“We were for a talk-show on (Wednesday), and today (Thursday) since morning, we’re in the field, almost all the five Payams of Kajo-Keji County. The day of today was declared a day of cleaning,” he affirmed.
Erasto said the work went on well and everybody and the community in general, and the government including the organizations embraced the activity and were all involved in the voluntary work of the road.
The Commissioner said what they used to share with the state government was the issue of the construction of the Juba – Kajo-Keji road as it has been ear-marked and has not shared about the issue of the roads infrastructure within the county with the state authority.
“We realized that it’s very difficult and if we wait for the plan which is actually from the State, it will take us time, so we had to mobilize ourselves as a county to do some work for ourselves,” he stated.
With the dilapidated Juba- Kajo-Keji road that citizens are yearning for its construction since it’s ear-marking, it is difficult and time consuming for business, organizations and the government to deliver services to the people for the people of Kajo-Keji from the capital city Juba.
“My message to the state government is to put what has been planned about the Juba – Kajo-Keji road into action so that my people of Kajo-Keji are safe and are equally given the same services that are obliged to receive,” he emphasized.
A resident and youth of Kajo-Keji Mr. Wani Richard also explained that the initiative is a good one that came out of frustrations following the conditions of the road that makes it hard to access the county hospital which is partially operational and under renovation.
He said, the population is looking in two ways, either the government gets involve as quick as possible to help in the repair of the road or the local community will continue to join hands and repair the potholes within their capacity.
The Secretary of the Kajo-Keji Football Association (KKFA) Mr. Kenyi Kennedy stated that the initiative was decided in a youth’s meeting that ended up by forming a committee which was followed up with the County commissioner together with the youth’s leader.
Immediately, the commissioner spearheaded the program through the support of all the organizations operating within the County.
“The committee is going to form itself very strong because the work of today was a good work done unfortunately, there were other things that were missing which will be addressed in another meeting and come with better solutions,” he said.
Mr. Kennedy said they need to go back and continue with the process and further appealed to the State government and the general public to support the initiative and enhance it to ease the work at the main hospital.
On Wednesday the National Minister of Roads and Bridges, Simon Mijok Mijak told the media during an inspection visit to the Juba-Bor highway that the ear-Marked Juba-Kajo-Keji road and Juba-Yei-Kaya highway projects were not yet approved by the government thus there budget aren’t unveiled.
The Minister accused some area members of parliament from the greater Yei for pronouncing the launch of the Juba-Yei-Kaya Highway without the knowledge of the ministry. This Mijak said was purportedly done by the area MPs to calm down pressure from their people in the constituencies who have been eager to see the two major national roads tarmac.