Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin speaking on behalf of President Salva Kiir during the 35th commemoration of the late Aggrey Jaden at Rock City playground in Juba on Saturday Oct 30, 2021 - credit | Confucius Taban

President Salva Kiir has renamed Juba-Yei-Kaya Road after the Late Aggrey Jaden Lado Road, the minister in Office of the President has said.

Barnaba Marial Benjamin made the announcement during the 35th commemoration of the late Aggrey Jaden at Rock City playground in Juba on Saturday.

Dr. Marial stated that the President decided to rename the road in honor of the Late Aggrey Jaden for participating in the liberation of South Sudan.

He says Kiir pledged to pave the high-way that connects Juba to Kaya.

Juba-Yei Road is one of the infrastructure projects to be undertaken as part of the oil for development policy unveiled by the government last year.

In 2020, the government has embarked on a road construction project that will see the road networks linking Juba to Bor in Jonglei state and Rumbek in Lakes state.

China’s Exim Bank will make available US$ 1bn for the project.

South Sudan has only around 300 kilometers of paved roads of which a third are in the capital city of Juba.

The 192-km Juba-Nimule highway, the only paved road in the country, cost US$ 220m to build.

Speaking on behalf of President Salva Kiir during the commemoration of Aggrey Jaden, Dr. Barnaba Marial told the crowd that Kiir has changed Juba, Lainya, Yei and Kaya road to Aggrey Jaden Lado road.

“To the people of South Sudan, Pojulu community, the people of Central Equatoria, the people of Bahr El-Ghazal, the people of Upper Nile, this is the message in honored to our hero Aggrey Jaden Lado Wani,” Dr. Marial said.

“The President has decided that the road from Juba to Lianya to Yei to Kaya shall be called Aggry Jaden Road.”

The commemoration was attended by residents of Juba, Pojulu community, senior government officials, religious and community leaders among others.

Aggrey Jaden was born to the Pojulu clan of Nyomunding at Loka village, Lainya County in 1924.

He died in 1985 and was laid to rest in his home village Loka.

The Late was an administrator and a politician and national figure who participated in the liberation of South Sudan.

Jaden was the first South Sudanese to graduate from the University of Khartoum in 1952.

He was active in politics at the Gordon Memorial College; he was involved in political activities such as writing wallpapers (broadside), newsletters and petitions.

The Late was also a founding member of Sudan African National Union (SANU) a “political wing” and South Sudan Liberation Movement (SSLM) “military wing”.