(MOROBO COUNTY) – The Caretaker Commissioner of Morobo County, Hon Moro Isaac Johnson, has called for the immediate resumption of two stalled projects funded by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.
The projects are a county pavilion and a prison cell.
The Commissioner inspected the sites on Tuesday after residents raised growing concern over the delayed completion of both facilities despite being funded.
UNMISS entrusted two implementing partners with the work. MASS was contracted to build the detention centre, while SPEDP was assigned the county pavilion.
MASS, or Mission to Alleviate Suffering in South Sudan, is a national non-governmental organisation operating across Central Equatoria State.
It has worked in Morobo and Yei River counties on food security and livelihood projects, including seed distribution to farmers in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization. The group has also collaborated with UNMISS on protection activities.
SPEDP, or Support for Peace and Education Development Programme, was founded in 2007. It operates in eight of South Sudan’s ten states, focusing on education, food security, livelihoods and peacebuilding. The organisation is registered with the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission and has built partnerships with 28 organisations since 2015.
According to the Commissioner’s office, the two partners received 80% of the project funds. However, the work remains unfinished.
Neither MASS nor SPEDP has given the community a clear timeline for completion.
The detention centre project was launched in May and was expected to be handed over by September. During his inspection, the Commissioner found that the work had not reached the midway stage.
The pavilion project was initially scheduled for completion in 2023 but was delayed by insecurity in the area. SPEDP confirmed in May 2026 that engineers were mobilising materials and machinery to the site, with construction set to begin within the month.
Hon Moro spoke on behalf of the government and residents. He urged the two partners to return to the sites without further delay and warned that they could face legal consequences if they fail to do so.
The Commissioner said the project timeline has already expired. He added that the government would consider other measures if work does not resume.
The facilities were meant to end the county’s repeated need to hire tents for government events. The detention centre was also intended to strengthen the local justice system and improve conditions for detainees.
Hon Moro stressed that the projects are meant to benefit the community and must be completed on time.
The press unit of the Caretaker Commissioner’s office confirmed the inspection in a statement issued from Morobo County, Central Equatoria State.
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