Civil servants in Jonglei State’s Akobo County have complained about nonpayment of their salary arrears weeks after colleagues across the state got paid.
Starting earlier this month, the Jonglei State government started paying its civil servants a one-month salary for the first time in two years, sparking mixed reactions of happiness and discontent among government employees.
However, those on the Akobo County payrolls told Radio Tamazuj that they have not been paid following the assassination of their commissioner in the town of Walgak on 5 July.
One civil servant based in the Bor IDP camp who identified himself as Reat confirmed that they were not paid.
“The majority of counties started getting paid since 3 July, but we have yet to receive ours. The government is asking us to go to Walgak, where the commissioner was killed,” he said. “This is the way of embezzling our money because we have not been travelling to get paid in Akobo. We receive our salaries in Bor.”
Another civil servant, Ojulu Mark, the payam administrator of Chiban, also decried nonpayment and being ordered to travel to Walgak.
“We heard salaries were taken to Walgak for payment to be made from there. As Anyuak, we demanded that salaries for our payams be released here in Bor,” he said. “Our people will get paid in Bor, and those in our villages will have their salaries received by their next of kin. No one will travel to Walgak because of the safety concerns.”
Nyamar Lony Thichiot, Jonglei’s information minister, admitted civil servants from Akobo have not been paid and blamed it on insecurity. She said arrangements are underway to have them paid from Walgak, a town on the western outskirts of the county, which the government established as its temporary headquarters.
“The commissioner was killed after travelling to Walgak to deliver services. We don’t want anyone to get killed again. Akobo civil servants will get paid from Walgak because that is the area in Akobo where we have a presence,” she said. “So anyone seeking payment should go to Walgak, and only those known to be active in their department will get paid.”
A lawmaker representing the area in the state legislative assembly, Deng Bol, also echoed the minister’s remarks but clarified that exceptions will be made for civil servants from the Anyuak Community.
“Akobo East has been designated as a rebel area, and those Nuer are the ones fighting the government terming as “Nuer Weew.” So, we will not pay them for them to buy ammunition to fight the government. Only those in Walgak and those who will travel from Bor or Juba will get paid,” he said. “As for the Anyuak, their complaint is genuine, and their salaries have not been taken to Walgak. They will get paid in Bor.”
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