S. Sudan was asked 50,000 times to identify projects for EAC to develop but failed – lawmaker

JUBA – South Sudan government has been asked over 50,000 times by the East African Community (EAC) to provide infrastructural projects that it wants to undertake in the country, but has provided none, a lawmaker representing South Sudan at the EA parliament said.

MP Ayason Mukulia Kennedy who had initially vowed to oppose deliberations on East African Community’s fiscal budget over lack of equity in distribution services among East Africa Community states said he was eventually told that South Sudan’s ministry of road and bridges was asked thousands of times to provide projects to be funded by the EAC but failed to provide any.

“The director in charge of infrastructure development…told me that the committee has over 50,000 letters sent for instance to the [South Sudan] ministry of road and bridges to give them priority infrastructural projects the country wants to undertake and the country has not provided any,” he told the SSBC over the weekend.

Earlier, almost all the lawmakers representing South Sudan in the East African parliament accused the minister of East African Affairs Deng Alor Kuol of absenteeism saying important decisions were being made by other East African Community leaders in his absent which the lawmakers said affects South Sudan’s interests at risk.

Speaking to the state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC), over the weekend, Dut Gatkek Thomas, one of South Sudan’s representatives at the East African Court, said lack of participation from South Sudan’s minister is affecting the country’s interests as Minister Deng Alor fail to attend almost all meetings of the EAC council of ministers.

“What is affecting us are issues to do with participation. You see, things are being made at sectorial council meeting in which South Sudan is defaulting; they don’t attend so the participation is not that good and if you don’t attend, in what whatever decision you will definitely get nothing because it is you who [should] address your interests when you are present,” Thomas said.

He said they cannot help because they are only “tasked to legislate, oversee, and advice institutions” and “we don’t have a legal mandate to represent members of the executive.”

he added that “…..it is you who [should] address your interests when you are present.”