Returnees in kajo-keji County, Central Equatoria State, on Tuesday started receiving water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) items from Islamic Relief Service to help them resettle home.
According to Lokimang Isaac, a distribution officer with the Islamic relief Service in Kajo-keji County, said they are distributing majorly WASH items like jerrycans, basins, and soap among others.
“The items we distributed are all about our health, one of them is a jerrycan for water, basins for bathing, nail cutters, torches, washing soap, and bathing soap,” Lokimang said.
He revealed that the exercise initially targeted the whole county but that certain community and local leaders were corrupt and nepotistic and registered only members of their families and relatives cutting out genuine would-be beneficiaries.
“In our plan, we needed to reach the whole county but we cannot because local chiefs and other people do not write the names of the real targeted beneficiaries,” Lokimang said. “Instead they write the names of their families which is a false story. So, there is also corruption by the leaders.”
Juru Mary, a beneficiary who received some WASH items, said, “I have received items like a jerrycan, basin, 4 tablets of bathing soap, 3 bars of washing soap, a nail cutter and torch. The soaps can help me in washing and bathing and the torch will help me at the night.”
Samuel Wani who just returned from a refugee camp in Uganda said the items will help since some of them just returned home and appealed for more support.
“These items can help us a lot because we have just returned and we have nothing,” Wani said. “I am urging, if possible, the partners to also provide us with blankets.”
For his part, Moses Pitia, the coordinator of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) in Kajo-Keji County, appealed for more support for the returnees from the government and humanitarian agencies.
“As the government, let us support the returnees so that they also encourage others who are in exile to return since there is peace,” Pitia said. “As the government, we need to support the returnees so that they settle.”