Community leaders in Yei County have called on top county officials to subscribe to principles of transparency and accountability in the conduct of business to ensure efficient service delivery.
This came during a three-day workshop for 50 participants organized by the Center for Democracy and Development (CEDED) with support from the Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa (OSIEA).
The training, attended by youth, elders, chiefs, religious leaders and people with disabilities from different parts of the county, aimed at mapping out issues on which government can be held accountable.
Anthony Diko, a community leader, vowed to return to his village to sensitize his community members to play active roles in developing bottom-up approaches on how to respond to community needs.
“We understood during our training that power lies in the hands of the people. We want the government to come and consult us on what we want and if there is need for an appointment of a county commissioner, we must be consulted at community level,” said Diko.
He added, “This time, we want the government and other actors to provide clean water, schools and good roads. As South Sudanese, we also need to collectively work for peace and development”.
Meanwhile, Medina Nafisa praised the country’s leaders for restoring peace and stability, but urged them to work in the interest of the local population to promote lasting peace and development.
“We are now very strong to advocate for our own rights in public and we are ready to meet our leaders in the new government and our demand is that our ideas and views should be considered in any planning process,” said Medina.
She added, “We need to work with President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar in reconstructing South Sudan to be like other countries”.
Eric Moses, the Executive Director for CEDED, said they would continue empowering local community members in villages with skills in search for lasting peace and good governance at local levels.
“Such trainings are aimed at empowering the local population to raise their voices in the search for sustainable peace and improved service delivery. It is time for them to act and demand what they want and to also hold the leaders accountable on their roles in the delivery of their promises to the citizens,” he explained.
Felix Amule, the administrative secretary for the defunct Yei River State, lauded CEDED for empowering local communities to advocate for constitutional rights to promote good governance.