Local chiefs warned against illegal land issuance

JUBA – Central Equatoria State High-Level Land Committee has warned local chiefs in Juba against the illegal dishing of land.

The committee was formed by President Salva Kiir earlier last month to address the rampant informal settlement and land grabbing in Central Equatoria State.

It is headed by the national Minister of Land, Housing, and Urban Development, and co-chaired by Governor Emmanuel Adil Anthony.

The members of the committee include Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning, Chief of the Defense Force, Inspector General of Police, Director General for Internal Security Bureau, and the National Security Service.

Charles Joseph Wani, Juba County Commissioner, who doubles as a spokesperson for the committee said some chiefs have been involved in the illegal demarcation of land in Juba.

This comes after the recent visit to the affected areas by the High-Level Committee.

“Anyone caught carrying such activities will be liable to be charged in the court of law and all the illegal chiefs who are living around Juba County must close their offices,” Wani warned in a statement to the press on Monday.

“The land will only be demarcated by the government officials. Further, all the engineers who are working outside must be the authorized engineers that can carry out the demarcation”.

He also urged the public not to be involved in the illegal buying of land from those chiefs.

Warning shot fired

“Whether the Bari community or the criminals, whoever allocates any piece of land to anybody from today onwards should come through the government,” Wani stressed.

“All the chiefs, especially those chiefs who called themselves council of Chiefs headed by a man called Luka Kuot [are] not recognized in Juba County,” he said.

The commissioner reiterated that the right procedure for acquiring land in Juba is through submitting the request to Juba county offices.

The resolution passed by the High-Level Land Committee includes ‘‘mapping out areas affected by informal settlements and land grabbing in Juba City and Juba County by estimating the population, household numbers, and other related demographic data’’.

The committee set out to examine the causes of informal settlement and land grabbing in Juba County and to understand the ‘‘land management system and practices in the city and examine their roles in encouraging informal settlement and land grabbing’’.

The committee is mandated ‘‘to summon and interview persons including community leaders where it deems ‘appropriate to ascertain any information relating to the subject matter’’.

“The Committee shall ensure that all agreed solutions and developed strategies are implemented by the relevant authorities to resolve the problems of rampant Informal settlements and land grabbing in Juba City and Juba County accordingly,” the resolution read in part.

They agreed to incorporate some members and form sub-committees of technocrats from different fields as it deems necessary and appropriate.

It further stated that it may ‘‘perform any other relevant task to the subject matter where appropriate and to report to the president every month on the process of its work’’.

The High-Level Committee promised to submit its final report to president Kiir within six months from the date of issuance of this order.