National parliament building, Juba South Sudan. | File photo.

The National Legislative Assembly has adjourned today’s sitting meant to discuss a joint audit report on the construction of Juba-Rumbek Highway due to absence of road authorities.

The report, initially tabled by Auditor General Ambassador Steven Wondu on 25th October 2023 was subjected to scrutiny by several specialized parliamentary committees.

These include the Public Accounts, Roads and Bridges, Legislation and Justice, Finance and Economic Planning, Environment and Forestry, and Governance Assurances.

The Juba-Rumbek Road project, which is a key infrastructural development in the country has seen the involvement of major contractors, including Africa Resources Corporation (ARC) and China’s Shandong Hi-Speed Investment Company Limited.

The auditor report evaluated the technical and financial performance of the road construction as well as the management of funds and crude oil allocated to the project.

The Bank of South Sudan, in collaboration with the Ministries of Roads and Finance has been overseeing the disbursement of these funds.

However, the Monday’s sitting was postponed due to the absence of key government officials, including the Minister of Roads and Bridges, Simon Mijak, who is reportedly out of the country and representatives from the South Sudan Roads Authority.

“I have been told that the Minister of Road and Bridges Hon. Simon Mijak is not around and the report is about the road and the South Sudan Road Authority is also not here.

“… these key representatives are not here for his report. And therefore, I don’t see it possible to proceed with the sitting in their absences.

“So, I will inform them accordingly. Actually the Minister is outside the Country, so we’ll be following up and  waiting for him to come, and then we will schedule this sitting.”

The Assembly will reconvene the session once the necessary officials, including those from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Petroleum, and the Bank of South Sudan, are available to participate in the discussions.

The Juba-Rumbek Road is considered a cornerstone for national development, and the outcomes of these discussions is said to determine the vital project.