Profile|Emmanuel Tete Ezbon, Commissioner of Juba County - Courtesy

The Commissioner of Juba County has ordered cattle owners in Lobonok Payam to keep their animals away from farmlands or face imprisonment for damages caused.

Emmanuel Ezborn Tete said there has been an influx of cattle in the Payam, posing security risks to the agrarian community and their farms.

‘The issue of the cattle is something we don’t want to see because they are discouraging the farmers from working”, he said.

He warns that, once found destroying crops, the owner will have the cattle confiscated to pay for the damages. .

“We have laws that guide the management of cattle. When we confiscate your cow, you will pay for the damages caused to the garden”, he warns.

Commissioner Tete was speaking in Lobonok over the weekend when he told the Payam Director to settle at the Payam to resolve problems affecting the local people.

“I don’t want the Payam director who rushes to Juba and leaves the Payam alone. When you will need security and financial report, you realize they are not available.

Meanwhile, the county official has confirmed the presence of Ambororo herders in Rokon and other areas, destabilizing farmers there.

Farmers in Juba County and other parts of Central Equatoria have had no  peace during cultivation session due to presence of armed cattle herders.

Despite, a previous presidential order banning their interference with farming communities, the herders have not heeded to the call.