The Governor of Western Equatoria State on Monday ordered the Minister of Local Government and Law Enforcement Agencies to recruit new executive directors and revenue collectors for all the 10 counties in the state.
Speaking during the opening of the Commissioner’s Forum in Yambio, Governor Alfred Futuyo accused the executive directors and tax collectors of corruption, lack of transparency, and misusing collected revenue in their respective counties.
"The money of the county is shared on a table. The executive director of the county eats all the money. The county commissioner doesn’t know where to get money for development and yet the executive directors are building their private houses with public money,” Governor Futuyo fumed. “I cannot blame the county commissioners for this. So, from now on, Minister of Local Government and Law enforcement, I need you to change all those executive directors and people of the revenue authority from all the ten counties."
The governor urged the county commissioners to take the responsibility for the security of their counties. He said murders occur and the perpetrators are not brought to book.
"Nine counties are fine but only Tambura County is not okay. So I need you to advise your fellow commissioner of Tambura to secure his county so that things can change for the better. Let us hide nothing,” Futuyo said. “Since I was appointed governor, have you ever heard that I killed or imprisoned somebody? If somebody is murdered in this state, they will blame the governor. So if a person is also killed in your county, we will blame you, the commissioner.”
According to Governor Futuyo, there are only four counties that are performing well in terms of security and he blamed some county commissioners who claimed that they were appointed by the President and refused to listen or take directives from the local government minister and or the governor.
The State’s local government and law enforcement minister, Elia Box, urged the participants to be active and implement what they will learn from the forum.
"I want to urge you all the participants to be keen and vigilant for these two days. What we are going to learn here should be taken to our counties and implemented. This learning is not only for ourselves but for the benefit of our communities so that the citizens should realize that this government is for them," Minister Box said.
Meanwhile, the Head of UNMISS in Western Equatoria, Christopher Murenge, said the purpose of the forum is to build the capacities of the state and county authorities, especially in the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement.
"We hope over next two days to work with you that we shall work together with you for us all to have the same understanding of good governance means and what should happen and why it needs to happen and then we make sure that the services to the people are the primary concern that all of us should have," Murenge said.
The two-day Commissioners’ Forum was organized by the UN Civil Affairs Division under the theme, “People, Community, Country.”
It brought together about 50 participants from across the state including county commissioners, state ministers, and advisors, civil society, organized forces, religious leaders, chiefs, youth and women representatives.