The governor of Western Equatoria State on 3 August issued an order suspending the county commissioner of Nzara County.
“This order No 12/2023 is for the suspension of Hon. Zizi Richard Paulno Bugwa from his position as Nzara county commissioner until further notice and shall come into force as per the date of the signature,” the order seen by Radio Tamazuj reads in part.
No reason was however given for the suspension.
When contacted, Governor Alfred Futuyo’s press secretary, Alex Digi, confirmed Zizi Richard’s suspension and said it was because the commissioner has been absent from his duty station for the last eight months without alerting state authorities.
“The commissioner left his county and traveled to Juba without permission from the state government. He has now been away from his office for eight months,” he said. “Nzara County needs a commissioner on the ground to control the security situation so since he left without information, the county is being run by the executive director.”
According to Digi, the suspended commissioner went to Juba to lobby to be appointed governor of the state.
“He (Zizi Richard) traveled to Juba to campaign because he wants to become the state governor but he did not succeed and now he wants to come back but he finds it difficult because of shame,” he added.
Meanwhile, the suspended commissioner Richard said he is not aware of his suspension and that he has not received any letter nor communication to the effect. He said his suspension is unofficial because no genuine reason was given by the governor.
“I saw the suspension letter issued from the office of the governor but he did not serve me with a copy. There is indeed a letter circulating on social media about my suspension and the letter was issued on 3 August 2023 but up to now I have not received the official copy of the letter. As such I take it as a rumor,” he said.
The embattled commissioner confirmed that he indeed went to Juba last year to attend the Commissioners’ Forum but that he fell sick soon after and was diagnosed with diabetes and advised to remain in Juba for treatment.
“From April I was bedridden and receiving treating for diabetes and I have documents from a medical doctor,” Richard explained. “After my treatment, I wrote several letters to the governor informing him of my return to my county but there was no response from the governor.”
He also accused Governor Futuyo of suspending his salary since December 2022 without any clear reason.
“As I am speaking with you, I have not been able to receive my salary since December last year,” Richard said. “The governor said he will not pay my salary until I return to my county.”
The governor’s spokesperson however rubbished Commissioner Richard’s claims and said the state finance ministry was in charge of paying civil servants and not the governor. Digi wondered how the commissioner expected to be paid in Juba.
For his part, Nzara County Paramount Chief John Ramadan Ukusasa said the absence of the commissioner for over eight months has created a leadership vacuum in the county.
“Since the commissioner traveled, there is no one heading the county, and everyone in Nzara County feels neglected,” he said. “We the civilians do not involve ourselves in politics so the decision from the governor is a political decision.”
Relatedly, a letter dated 26 May 2023 written by SPLM-IO State Secretary Mary John Osman and addressed to the state’s SPLM-IO chairperson, Governor Gen. Alfred Futuyo Karara, asked for the immediate removal of Zizi Richard from his position as Nzara County commissioner due to gross incompetence.
The letter accused the Nzara County commissioner of leaving the county and closing the SPLM-IO and county offices for 8 months. The letter also alleges that the people of Nzara have rejected Richard.