The Deputy Governor delivered the directive on Monday, October 20, during a ceremony in Juba to officially install the new leadership of the Juba City Council. Christopher Sarafino Wani was sworn in as the new Mayor, alongside three Deputy Mayors.

In his inaugural address, Deputy Governor Obede urged the new city leadership to prioritize effective and transparent service delivery, demanding “transformative leadership with great ideas and great minds” dedicated to radically improving urban services.

He contrasted Juba’s needs with those of developed cities, stating, “Countries like London, like Johannesburg, like other countries in Europe, Asia, the mayors are elders because they have concluded or they have finished infrastructure work, they have finished other developments, now they direct the city for policy. But we will not make the Juba City Council a retirement package.”

Obede underscored that Juba’s significant challenges require hands-on, energetic governance, not complacency.

“We need a transformative leadership with great ideas and great minds, not to sleep, not even at night, you should work for the betterment of the city.”

“We don’t need a mayor who will sleep on the chair, nor the deputy mayor who will sleep on the chair while people are waiting for clean water, people are waiting for tarmac roads, people are waiting for proper waste management and other related services that the city must provide,” he stressed the urgency of the task.

These essential services—Clean Water, Tarmac Roads, and Proper Waste Management—were highlighted by Lukudu as the immediate priorities for the new Juba City Council leadership.