The ministers of agriculture, environment, and forest, and local government and law enforcement agencies appeared before the Central Equatoria State assembly to answer concerns about rampant logging in Kajo-Keji County.
The ministers and Kajo-Keji County Commissioner were summoned by the house two weeks ago to answer serious concerns raised by lawmakers about the persistent logging in Kajo-Keji County despite an executive order banning logging activities.
However, Kajo-Keji Commisoner Kenyi Erasto Michael failed to appear before the house.
Addressing questions directed at her, Lilly Kafuki Jurkin, the state agriculture minister said since she assumed office, the ministry has not issued any logging licenses in Kajo-Keji County.
She claimed that the logging companies operating in Kajo-Keji are illegal.
“Since the ongoing logging taking place in Kajo-Keji County is illegal, the State Ministry of Agriculture, Environment, and Forestry was not able to generate revenues collected from forest products, maybe at the local level!” Minister Kafuki said. “What is happening there (Kajo-Keji) is illegal logging and we have already issued a Ministerial Order No. 3/2021 beside the Gubernatorial Order No. 12/2020. What we are expecting is the honoring of the two orders and enforcing them. The right ministry to do this is the Ministry of Local Government and Law Enforcement Agency, in coordination with the State Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Forestry.”
The Minister of Local Government and Law Enforcement Agencies was queried on why no individuals or companies had been arrested and charged with illegal logging, what administrative and legal steps his ministry has in place to curb the crime and why Nyepo and Kangapo 1 Payams operate without payam directors.
Moro Isaac Jenesio, in response, said despite illegal logging, Kajo-Keji has several urgent security challenges including the presence of armed cattle herders threatening the lives and properties of the residents, unprecedented deforestation armed and unruly merchants, and the activities of the opposition National Salvation Front (NAS) among others.
“As you are aware of the financial situation/difficulty of the state economy with subsequent bearing on the state institutions, the state government could not afford to fund concurrent interventions on the matter of investigation on the continuous logging in Kajo-Keji,” Moro said. “Due to this incapacitation, the Ministry of Local Government and Law Enforcement Agencies shall therefore effect any arrest on individuals or companies involved in the continuous logging once the conclusive investigation report has been forwarded to the ministry, or act on a directive from the state authority to do so.”
James Modi Lomindi, the Chairperson of the Information Committee at the State Transitional Legislative Assembly said the house is yet to interrogate Kajo-Keji County Commissioner on the issue.
“He has been given one week to appear before parliament so that he can also make his statement and parliament will come out with a resolution to stop the logging of forests in Kajo-Keji County,” said Lomindi.
The state assembly constituted a fact-finding parliamentary committee to investigate logging claims in Central Equatoria State.
Following persistent public outcry, the state governor in an executive order in October 2020 directed the ministries of agriculture and local government to implement a ban on the logging business in the state.