The Commissioner of Juba County in Central Equatoria State on Thursday reopened the County Legislative Council after two years of closure.
According to the Local Government Act of 2009, a County Legislative Council have the power to make bylaws within its jurisdiction.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, Juba County Commissioner Charles Joseph Wani said they are ready as the county executive to work with the council to provide a conducive environment for citizens in Juba County.
“This house can play a bigger role in providing good laws that can protect our children, our environment and our workplaces. This is the main work of the house,” he said.
“We in the executive have been working for a period of two years without this house. We have done a lot, and we believe you can do more than that, which can give me direction. The direction will come from this house. If there is no direction from this house, I will not do anything,” Wani added.
The commissioner called on the legislators to develop bylaws to guide cattle keeping within Juba County.
“Please pass bylaws of how can we rear cattle in Juba County and what the punishment is for someone who takes cattle to someone`s crops. This is your work, so come out with such bylaws, and give them to us and let’s see how to implement them,” he stressed.
For his part, Robert Milla John, Chairperson of the Juba County Legislative Council, called for cooperation between the county executive and the legislative council.
“We want you to cooperate with us so that we can be able to deliver services to our people. We have plans in the legislative council to visit all the areas of Juba County so that we can pass laws that govern Juba County,” he said.
“Juba County has a number of challenges, such as land grabbing, random cattle movement, and waste management. All these require laws,” he added.