Areal view of Torit town, Eastern Equatoria State. | Photo: Courtesy.

The Mayor of Torit Municipal Council, Ohito Baptist, has launched a community-driven road rehabilitation project aimed at improving the town’s internal road network.

Speaking to Eye Radio from Torit on Tuesday, Mayor Ohito said the initiative is a joint effort between the municipal government, local businesses, and residents.

He described the project as a model of community ownership that encourages collaboration among government officials, traditional leaders, and citizens.

“The road project is community-owned project, that an initiative has been shared with the chiefs and business communities that we need to do something,” said Mayor Ohito.

“It’s all about determination for the citizenship and preferably what they want to do. So we start together with my business community, with this one, the tourist community, they have also to contribute something small or five thousand each household and choose their road where they want to deploy their resources.”

Ohito said each household is encouraged to contribute 5,000 South Sudan Pounds toward improving roads in their respective areas, allowing residents to prioritize which roads to rehabilitate.

He emphasized that the initiative brings together all stakeholders — including government institutions, traditional authorities, and the private sector — to take joint responsibility for local development.

“So it is fully a kind of involvement where all the stakeholders, government stakeholders, in terms of something come together to say let us do something for the people of Torit,” he added.

According to the mayor, the project aims not only to fix poor road conditions but also to promote civic responsibility and community participation in urban development.