Governor Alfred Futuyo Karaba addresses residents of Kotobi Payam, Mundri West County over disputes between farmers and cattle keepers in the area. June 8, 2023. | Photo Credit: Governor's Press Unit/Facebook

The Governor of Western Equatoria State said he will not appear before the national parliament, describing it as politically motivated.

Alfred Futuyo Karaba was responding to a motion raised for his summon on allegations of the missing salaries of the civil servants of the defunct Amadi, Maridi and Tombura States.

This comes after complaints from state officials that the defunct states have not been paid salaries for more than 30 months.

National parliament speaker, Jemma Nunu Kumba said after the summon, governor Futuyo refused to appear before the lawmakers.

“We were expecting the governor to appear here, in which this August House considered an urgent and important matter concerning the payment of arrears of salaries of the staff of defunct States of Western Equatoria State which was presented by Honorable Prof Richard K Muller,” said Hon Nunu.

“The motion was passed and adopted and then the August House resolved that the honourable Governor of Western Equatoria State and Minister of Finance and Planning Western Equatoria State and also the national minister was supposed to be here to testify whether he has been sending money to Western Equatoria or not for him to appear here and explain on this urgent matter of importance,” she said.

“The governor received the letter of summon and he responded to the Transitional National Legislative Assembly on the motion, saying he will not attend the sitting”.

But in response, Western Equatoria state governor Alfred Futuyo said he is not the right person to be summoned to answer questions on the whereabouts of the salary arrears of the civil servants.

He went on to say the matter is politically motivated and characterized by a lack of evidence.

“I will not enter into August House, this is what I said and I also wrote it and told them, I am not going there,” said Futuyo.

“Today they discussed it but I have a question for Western Equatoria State because these are politicians at the national level, honourable members raising a motion that the money is missing and this motion was raised without evidence, no amount of money was mentioned,” he said.

“There is no document from the national minister that we have paid this amount of money to the governor. I don’t have any issue with this old issue. I don’t have anything in this case.”