![South Sudan's Juba Rumbek Highway being constructed based on President Salva Kiir Mayardit contract with Chinese firm [Photo by Sudans Post]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Juba-roads-construction-1.jpg?resize=1019%2C414&ssl=1)
JUBA, OCTOBER 26, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – A report by South Sudan’s Auditor General has blamed non-payment of money for the slow construction of the Juba-Rumbek Highway.
The road project report, which was presented to the transitional parliament on Wednesday by Steven Kiliona Wondu, the Auditor General at the National Audit Chamber, said the project, which was supposed to be completed by July 11, 2023, has been delayed due to failure by the government to remit the money to contractors.
“The delay was mainly attributed to delay in making advance payments and non-payment of interim payment certificates,” he told lawmakers.
The Auditor General also said that the contractor for the Juba-Rumbek road construction was not procured through open competitive bidding but through single sourcing.
He also said that the financial agreement between the government and Chinese firm Shandong Hi-Speed Corporation is not clear.
Wondu also said that the Ministry of Petroleum shipped 21,780,134 barrels of crude oil worth $1,558,763,802 to Chinese firms between 2019 and 2020, but it is unclear whether the crude oil policy for development has been stopped or not.
The Auditor General’s report also found that the road has not been constructed in accordance with the required design and specifications.
He said the design of the road was inadequate since the Ministry of Environment and Forestry was not involved in the feasibility study and Environment and Social Impact Assessment.
The 392-kilometer road is being built by Shandong Hi-Speed Corporation as part of a government project to connect Juba City to the Bahr el Ghazal region.
The post South Sudan’s auditor general blames non-payment for slow construction of Juba-Rumbek highway appeared first on Sudans Post.
