Members of the Lasu community, alongside traditional chiefs, religious leaders, government officials and other stakeholders in Yei River County, Central Equatoria State, on Saturday officially swore in a new executive leadership in Yei town.
Speaking in Kakwa during the ceremony, the newly elected chairperson, Morris Logulomo, who succeeds Kenyi Peter, called on members of the Lasu community to embrace peace, strengthen unity and put an end to hatred and division, saying only a united community could achieve meaningful development.
“Our community has been suffering for a long time. It is high time we worked for peace and unity instead of hating one another if we want to develop our community. Let us always stick together and remain united,” Logulomo said.
The outgoing chairperson, Kenyi Peter, urged community members to support the new leadership and work together to advance the development and progress of the Lasu community.
“Today, we have a new leadership. If we stand with it and support it, this will unite our people in Lasu. We should forget about the past and focus on the future of our community,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the youth, Bosco Amule expressed concern over the growing number of young people in Yei whose education ends after Senior Four because of financial constraints. He appealed to the new leadership to prioritise educational opportunities and scholarships to enable school leavers to pursue university education.
“Educational opportunities for our youth have become very limited, and many of our children stop at Senior Four without progressing to university because of financial hardships. Most of us are ordinary farmers, but when job opportunities arise, employers often require university graduates, which we are lacking. As we have elected you, try your best to promote the education of our children,” Amule said.
Women’s representative Rejoice Kongole called for inclusive leadership and urged the new executive to ensure the participation of all community members, regardless of status, while discouraging internal divisions and backbiting.
“You should be inclusive in your leadership by bringing on board people with disabilities, elders and women. We should not focus only on working with high-profile people. We must do our best to deliver services to all members of our community,” she said.
Yei River County Commissioner Samuel Henry Malimbo emphasised the importance of peace and stability as the foundation for development, noting that insecurity continues to hinder the movement of people and delivery of services. He urged the newly sworn-in leadership to champion peace initiatives, particularly among young people.
“Let us work for peace and stability to enable farming, development and free movement as it used to be. Yei has been crippled by conflict, which has affected us badly and caused setbacks in farming and development. In the end, it is the youth who pay the price. I am grateful to see that the newly elected leadership is composed of young people because they are the ones most affected by the challenges facing our community,” Malimbo said.
The swearing-in ceremony attracted county officials, traditional leaders, religious leaders, women, youth representatives and members of the Lasu community from across Yei River County.
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