Juba-Nadapal highway construction grinds to a halt amid funding shortage

JUBA – Eastern Equatoria state’s Deputy Governor, Mary Nadio, has raised concerns over the stalled construction of the Juba-Nadapal highway, attributing the delay to a lack of funds.

Speaking during the second day of the governors’ forum on Wednesday, Nadio said the state’s road infrastructure is poor and had to walk when visiting some of the counties in the state.

“Inadequate means of transport, mobility, and poor roads. When I went to a certain county, I had to leave the car and work and yet there is too much talk here that Juba-Nadapal road is now function, but I keep coming through this road and I don’t see any work there,” she said.

Nadio pointed out that the government has failed to make payments to contractors working on the crucial road connecting South Sudan to Kenya.

“I only see that parked big cars but they are not doing anything and we also work to know why this road that is linking South Sudan to Kenya is not being paid like other roads because it also has economic interest for this country, so we want to make sure this road is paid like other roads.”

The 365-kilometer highway project, traversing through Torit, Kapoeta, and Nadapal to the Kenyan border, was initially expected to be completed within four years. However, the project has been brought to a standstill due to a shortage of funds.

Construction work commenced in August 2020 under the leadership of the African Resources Corporation (ARC).

The project, estimated at a cost of $29 billion, aims to establish an international corridor linking South Sudan’s hinterland with Kenyan markets and international markets through the port of Mombasa.

Despite the initial clearing of trees along the proposed highway route, construction activities have halted, leaving the project’s future uncertain.