A multi-million-dollar project to build an international airport in Warrap State has been canceled after an investigation found the quality of work to be “substandard,” according to sources and documents reviewed by Radio Tamazuj.
The contract for Akon International Airport was awarded without competitive bidding in 2022 to a single company, Wunkoc Construction, sources confirmed. An official investigation later found that the standard of the initial construction phase was only 8%.
The project, valued at $300 million, was also intended to fund amenities and a power station for nearby villages.
“The total cost of the five-year project was $300 million, but the airport could be made operational with about $100 million,” a source familiar with the matter said. “The remaining funds were intended for amenities and a power station for villages around the airport.”
According to sources and documents reviewed by this publication, the contract was signed by the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Transport with Wunkoc Construction.
The company is owned by Bak Mayen, a businessman from Warrap’s Twic County. The airport is situated in Akon, the hometown of President Salva Kiir.
The idea for the airport was initiated in the office of the then vice-president for the service cluster, Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, and received the president’s blessing, a source said. Mr. Akol is now the minister of agriculture and food security.
The stated aim was to connect the regions of Aweil, Twic, and Gogrial and to ease the export of gum Arabic and other local produce.
Construction began in August 2023 during Mr. Akol’s tenure as vice-president. A source familiar with the matter said pressure was placed on Mr. Akol to award the contract to Mr. Mayen.
Funding and Work Begins
To commence work, the company was allocated a cargo of crude oil, valued at $42 million, according to sources. With this funding, Wunkoc began initial work, including digging, backfilling, constructing a laboratory for sand testing, fencing the site, and transporting murram soil from Aweil South County.
The company subcontracted the civil works to an Ethiopian and a Sri Lankan company.
By June 2024, the project had visibly stalled. Victor Wek Koordit, the Commissioner of Gogrial West County, told Radio Tamazuj at the time that construction had stopped and that they had not been briefed by the contractor. He suggested a lack of money could be the cause but confirmed the company’s equipment remained on site.
After the government received complaints about the project’s progress, an inquiry was launched into how the funds were being used. Kilimanjaro Consultancy, the firm overseeing the project, and the Ministry of Transport instituted an investigative body.
Following a week-long field trip, the investigation concluded that the work done by Wunkoc was substandard, achieving a quality rating of just 8%.
Contract Canceled
As a result, the government has moved to cancel Wunkoc’s contract. A source said a notice has been issued to the company informing it that the contract, which requires renewal every two years, will not be renewed next month.
The source said the company was “unhappy” with the decision. They added that the government had found it difficult to supervise the project because the company was “not ready to cooperate in the monitoring.”
A government source acknowledged there had been challenges with cash flow but stated the work was suspended primarily because of the “low quality delivered by the contracted company.”
The government now plans to reopen the project to competitive bidding, with a renewed focus on scrutinizing companies before awarding the contract, a source said. They emphasized the project’s importance in connecting the regions of Gogrial, Twic, and Aweil.
Attempts to reach Wunkoc company for comment were unsuccessful.