Denay Chagor, governor of Jonglei State | Credit | Courtesy

The Governor of Jonglei states has clarified that the state officials being accommodated in hotels are not there on a permanent basis.

This came after an activist expressed disappointment over the presence of several state government officials in hotels within Bor town.

Last week, the recently appointed Ministers, Advisors, Independent Commission members, and Commissioner travelled from Juba to Bor using chartered flights and convoys.

Observers say the new officials, including senior military officers are being accommodated in a 100 US dollar per day hotel, a narrative refuted by the state government.

This is at a time when residents of Bor town are still struggling with the impact of the devastating floods that hit the town and other parts of Greater Jonglei since last year.

The head of the Jonglei Civil Society Network, David Garang asked the Governor to immediately stop paying the bills for government officials.

He urged Governor Denay Chagor to use any available fund to construct dykes in Bor rather than spend it on hotel accommodations.

In response, the office of the governor admitted that the state government was indeed paying the hotel bills for the officials.

However, the governor’s press secretary affirmed that the payment was made for only seven days.

“Some of the officials don’t have places here and those are the ones the state government will take care of for some times,” Gatwech Koak told Eye Radio on Thursday.

There are more than 150 new officials that were recently appointed into the Jonglei state government by President Salva Kiir.

Residents of Bor town are still struggling with the impact of the devastating floods that hit the town and other parts of Greater Jonglei since last year.

This week, UN agencies issued a warning that the upcoming lean season from May to July 2021 is expected to be the most severe on record.

They stated that the upcoming rainy season is forecasted to lead once again to major floods in the most food-insecure areas.