Local employees working in the former Yei municipality have expressed worry over losing their positions in the wake of the Establishment Order and related follow-up orders that dissolved the institutions of Yei Municipality last month.
The Establishment Order made Yei the capital of the new Yei River State, one of 28 states that Salva Kiir created by decree to replace the ten states created by the national constitution.
Later the governor appointed by Kiir decreed the dissolution of the municipality last month and established a town council under Yei River County.
Nadia Amude, a cleaner, says that her hope of employment is at risk.
“I have been surviving on my work as a cleaner to feed my family and pay my children to school with the little money I used to get from my job. But now that the municipality is closed down, I don’t know where to start from at this hard situation,” Amude said.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth, a messenger, called on the state labour department to ensure that they are transferred to other departments in the state.
“You know, I am not educated and now that our municipality where we used to work has been closed down my message to the government is that let them absorb us into similar works in other government ministries.”
Joseph Malish, a clerical staff, has threatened to sue the state government to courts of law if it fails to pay his six month salaries and some overdue pay.
“As local employees our plan is that if the government fails to pay us, we shall open a case at the court,” he said, claiming the government did not give them sufficient notice before ending their work. There are more than one hundred classified and unclassified staffs who were employed by the Yei municipal government.
The municipality was established by the then Governor of Central Equatoria Clement Wani Konga in 2013. The decision was not universally popular among Yei community leaders.
Last month Yei River state Governor David Lokonga Moses issued a decree dissolving the municipality saying it has failed to meet its objectives and service delivery to the people.
“A research has been carried out and it was found out that the municipality is not giant enough to sustain itself and deliver services to the other parts of the rural Yei. So I have decided to reduce it to a town council under the management of the county so that services and development can be seen,” Lokonga explained.