South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit has directed immediate repairs on all Juba City’s major roads.

On Wednesday, Finance Minister Bak Barnaba said works on the city’s dilapidated roads will begin immediately.

Minister Barnaba made the remarks at a press conference after meeting with Central Equatoria State Governor Emmanuel Adil Anthony, Central Bank Governor Dr. James Alic Garang, Roads and Bridges Minister Simon Mijok Mijak, Special Presidential Advisor Benjamin Bol Mel and the Central Equatoria State Cabinet at the State Secretariat.

The proposed works include; renovation, rehabilitation, and construction of all essential roads within the city, the minister explained.

“We have been instructed by his Excellency the President together with the authorities and the Government of Central Equatoria State to work together to make sure that internal roads of Juba City are renovated, rehabilitated, constructed and put in order,” Barnaba said.  

“It has been a long term project but we are embarking on this project without full capacity under the auspices of the President, we shall launch this rehabilitation process and the construction of new roads within Juba City as from now,” he added.

Emmanuel Adil Anthony, Central Equatoria State Governor asked city residents who have encroached into road reserves to pull down their structures within 72 hours.

“We want to inform our people that the government is going to rehabilitate and construct some of the major road network and this comes with the responsibility. I would like to announce the following; as we move forward in implementing this great project, any individual who has constructed his house in a road reserve, kindly you are given 72 hours to go and start removing those structures because the committees have been formed, instructed to go and start demolitions,” he said.

“We have also observed that people have started to deliberately encroach on roads, kindly remove those structures. More importantly, people have developed a habit of even coming to create markets on roads and this is unacceptable, we have places that have been designated for markets,” Adil said.  

The governor said plans are underway to clean-up the city and urged residents to stop haphazard waste disposal.

Governor Adil said wastes should only be disposed at designated locates and garbage collection points as directed by the city council authorities.