South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria State roads and bridges minister has revealed that the construction of the Juba-Nadapal highway has stalled over a lack of funds.
The 365-kilometer stretch road runs through Torit, Kapoeta, and Nadapal-at the border with neighboring Kenya and is being constructed by the South Sudanese Winners Construction Company Limited. Work on the road commenced in August 2020.
The construction was expected to take four years but the state roads minister Jildo Abala Remy told Radio Tamazuj that work had stalled due to delays in the transfer of funds from the national ministry in Juba.
“This road is at the stage of raising the lane, they are filling it with Murrum, and this will depend on the resources,” he said.
“The biggest obstacles they are getting as constructors is money, most of the time the delay of payment of salaries to the workers that is why at times it is on and off,” Abala added.
The minister said there is no fuel to run trucks and generators at the construction site.
Abala appealed to the national minister of roads and bridges to intervene for the smooth implementation of the project and called on the communities along the road to cooperate with the construction workers.
“I request my national ministry to pay the companies on time so that they work with one attention, and the supply of fuel is needed to allow machines to work throughout,” he urged. “I also wanted to tell the communities living along the road that this road will help you and will stop any existing security issues. I want you to cooperate with the people working along the road.”
The road project is considered important since it will connect South Sudan with neighboring Kenya. Currently, the world’s youngest nation imports almost everything from neighboring countries.
The highway is expected to ease the transportation of Kenyan products to South Sudan.