Yei Catholic Bishop Alex Lodiong seeing men pushing his car after stuck at Khor Jamus on 24th May 2024. (Photo Credit: Awule Ezio)

The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Yei reiterated a call on the government to rehabilitate the dreadful Juba–Kajo-Keji Road after he was stuck in a broken section for 3 hours while traveling on the highway.

Bishop Alex Lodiong said he took the courage to travel by road from Yei to Juba and from Juba to Kajo-Keji to encourage travelers to use the road and draw government attention to its many broken sections.

“We travelled by road and we are going to go back by road so that the people know that the road must be used,” said the clergyman in an interview with the Catholic-run Radio Easter on 24^th May 2024.

Lodiong said he wonders why leaders prefer traveling by air instead of by road.

“It’s very unfortunate that the government is not using this road from Kajo-keji to Juba, they always fly and the ordinary people are the one that come by this road.”

“They send soldiers to come by the road but they fly, the big people fly.”

Since the outbreak of conflict in 2016, roads connecting Juba to Kajo-Keji and Juba to Yei have have remained in poor condition and travelers struggle to use them due to their awful shapes and security concerns.

The religious leader, who is on a two-week pastoral visit to Kajo-Keji, will preside over different church activities and encouraging refugees to return and rebuild their lives.

He said there is number of people returning to Kajo-keji as the area experiences relative peace.

“May God bless this visit because we are boosting the strength of this Parish after a lot of destruction that happened because of the war of 2016.”

“We are boosting the morale as we see now the Parish is alive people, are very active and number of people have come from the camps.”

Kajo-Keji County is located 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Juba in Central Equatoria State, but this distance can take almost the whole day due to bad roads.

Many travelers to Kajo-Keji mainly use the Nimule Road, after which they cross to Elegu in Uganda, branch to Moyo district, and then cross back to Kajo-Keji.

The area is located near the border with Uganda and it fertile land is favorable to agricultural activities.

In September 2021, the government promised to tarmac the Juba-Yei-Kaya Road to ease travel along this route.

Bishop Lodiong now appeals to the government to fulfill its promise and repair the Juba–Kajo-keji road to ease movement and facilitate trade.

“My message that I want to pass to the stakeholders of this county particularly the local and the state government is that this road must be repaired because as we come, we got stuck in one stream called Khor Jamus.”

“We were stuck there because the road has no bridge. It is a very difficult stream that has been a barrier and sometimes people get carried up because the water comes with force.”

In 2020, the government embarked on an oil-for-development project that it said would lead to smooth road networks linking Juba to Bor in Jonglei State and Juba to Rumbek and other parts of the country.

The Minister of Roads and Bridges revealed in March 2024 that 13 major priority highways aimed at easing the transportation of people, goods, and services have been launched.

Simon Mijok Mijak said the Juba-Torit-Kapoeta-Nadapal, Juba-Yei-Kaya, Juba-Kajo-Keji, and Juba-Mundri-Yambio-Tambura-Wau highways were among the priorities.

Other roads identified as government priorities, according to Minister Mijok, are the Rumbek-Mayendit-Bentiu-Giau, the Mundri-Rumbek-Tonj-Wau, and Wau-Aweil highways.

This is in addition to the ongoing construction of the Juba–Bahr el Ghazal highway and the just completed Juba–Bor road.

“There must be bridge. All of us cannot afford to travel by air. 100$ is too big, people sacrifice a lot families need to be fed. you want to fly, when they fly no food for the house,” the bishop said.

Lodiong also expressed concern about why roads and bridges that threaten human lives are not given immediate priority.

“We found other bridges’ that are made which are not necessary, the dangerous ones which should have been made like Khor Jamus, and Limo they are not made instead they made bridges on streams that are even manageable.”

On his part, Kajo-keji County Commissioner Phanuel Dumo admits the bad condition of the road linking his county with Juba and other neighboring counties.

“The road accessible first of all Limbe, Kajo Keji road that is the old road Yei – Kajo-keji 94 miles which was then taken by UNMISS unfortunately this work did not go well hoping this time around this work is going to do well.”

Dumo said told the media after meeting Central Equatoria State Governor Augustino Jadalla Wani on Friday, 31st May in Juba.

Commissioner Dumo said he was working collectively with other stakeholders to ensure the road is rehabilitated.

“We have the shortest cut which is 75 miles, Kajo-keji-Juba Road which is a trunk road, a national trunk, together with the communities in the grass root, my community in Juba, the MPs together we will team up with the help of the national government.”

Vice President Dr. James Wani Igga said he has also received similar concerns about the bad condition of the Greater Yei route.

Speaking during an SPLM event on Saturday, May 26th, Wani Igga said similar concerns have also been raised about the delay in the construction of the Juba–Yambio, Wau road.

“Our people who came from Yei told me that Wani if you got time to speak, remind the people maybe he might have been told that the construction of is going 100% tell him the work on this road stopped.”

“So if the construction of this road of Yei up to Kaya finish, there would have been no hunger in Juba.”

“Also those who came from Western Equatoria said Juba – Yambio – Tambura – Wau construction work stopped.”

Addressing the same event, President Salva Kiir blamed the 2013 and 2016 conflicts, which affected his government’s efforts in delivering services to the people.

“Two years after our independence our country fall into another senseless war which was more severe than whatever happened before that war stopped our programs on promises we made to our people during the struggle,” Kiir said.