Lakes State Expels 3 County Commissioners

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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The Lakes State Legislative Assembly resolved early last week to relieve the Rumbek East, North and Central County Commissioners from their duties over failure to protect citizens on attacks in their respective Counties.

Three Commissioners, Mr. Matur Majok Magol from Rumbek Central County, David Marial Gumke from Rumbek East County and Isaac Mayek Noah of Rumbek North County were impeached by the State parliament in reference to their security reports to the State parliament in December 2011. A specialized parliamentary committee reviewed the Commissioners reports and termed them as baseless and not indicating facts on the ground.

The Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee Mr. Isaiah Alier Machinkok – a speaker in the former parliament in 2005 was tasked to study that reports and affirmed that some of the reports were baseless and noted further that these Commissioners failed to protect citizens from internal insecurity incidences caused by cattle raiding, and robbery along the main roads in the State.

However, the Lakes State legislators came under heavy criticism from youths across the 8 Counties over the decision to sack the 3 Commissioners. The youth union in Lakes State said that, “our parliament is voiceless on national issues – there is no article in State constitution written to impeach Commissioners at the State level or in the entire South Sudan government structure while leaving the Minister concerned in power – the Minister of Local government and Law Reinforcement agency deserved impeachment and not Commissioners who report to the local government.”

Maker Ajoung, a member in the Lakes State youth body described Lakes State parliament as a room for wealth seekers in the State. He claimed that the expelled Commissioners performed their duties better than some of the Legislators.

However, the Lakes State parliament speaker Mr. John Marik Makur clarified that parliament had the right to summon anyone to answer questions by lawmakers but he decline to provide an article that allow anybody to be summon by parliament.

Lakes state governor Chol Tong Mayay and Sudan People Liberation Movement State secretary Malou Moses Majok said that they were surprised by State parliament’s decision to expel the Commissioners without clear facts.

The committee said that parliamentarians recommended the Commissioners removal based on their poor performance. 37 members voted for the removable of three commissioners and only 4 members voted to sustain them while claiming that these Commissioners deserved extra six months to gain more experience.

In December 2011, the Lakes State parliament summoned 5 County Commissioners to answer allegations of deteriorating security in their respective Counties. During deliberations, Yirol West and Cueibet County Commissioners maintained their positions unlike their 3 conterparts.