Uganda consulate in Juba in sorry state
Mar 16, 2006
IN Juba, Yei and other southern Sudanese cities and towns, nothing makes one happier than the appreciation and love bestowed upon Ugandans by the local population.
By Emmy Allio
in Juba, Sudan
IN Juba, Yei and other southern Sudanese cities and towns, nothing makes one happier than the appreciation and love bestowed upon Ugandans by the local population.
Since the historic signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in January last year, the government of southern Sudan has embarked upon the de-mining and reconstruction of roads, linking the land-locked south to its neighbours. This has heralded a new era of economic co-operation, creating a trade boom and opening new opportunities for investment.
Uganda was the first to open a consulate in Juba. Hence, its registration number is CD001. Following suit were USA (CD002), Norway (CD003), Kenya (CD004) and South Africa (CD005). The purpose of a consulate is to look after the interests of its nationals and seek investment opportunities.
But the current state of the Ugandan consulate is a shame to Uganda. The New Vision team visited the consulate, housed in a section of the dilapidated Juba hotel in the city centre. The office is a small room with unpainted wooden doors and widows and a broken ceiling.
Heavy rains last Monday flooded the consulate. Documents and office stationary were destroyed by the rain, that poured through the open windows.
The two staff members had no choice but to wait outside for the office to dry up. Heaped in a corner, to protect them from the rain, were fax machines, telephone receiver sets and other office items.
The staff resides in two small and sticky rooms behind the office. The stench from the toilets is all-penetrating.
“We have had no pumped water for many days,†said a policeman guarding the consulate. “It mostly comes at night, between 3 and 7 am. Therefore, we trap the water in drums and use it to flush the toilet.â€
In a nearby block, in the same hotel premises, is the consul’s residence. The consul, ambassador Busho Ndinyenka, himself renovated and painted the building, which contains two rooms.
Nevertheless, he still pays US$80 per day to the management of Juba Hotel, which is state-owned, for no service at all. He had to bring his own house-maid to clean the premises and cook. Busho carries out his office duties under a tree in front of his residence.
The consulate has no car. The consul and his staff either walk or hire a car. The car assigned to the consulate is in Khartoum, awaiting to be flown to Juba.
“We are proud of Uganda and we will never forget what President Museveni and the UPDF did for us,†said an officer of the SPLA, the previous rebels of southern Sudan.
“But we are ashamed about the state of Uganda’s consulate. This is not what is expected of a country which is seen as a hero here and whose traders have helped bring down the cost of living in Juba.â€
Previously, the consulate was located in a slummy sector in Juba Kebir near Juba market, behind Ivory Bank. Now Juba Hotel management is evicting Busho and his staff. Within a month, the hotel will be demolished to pave way for a five-star hotel.
On March 11, a Sudanese-Kuwaiti consortium bought the hotel for $40m. The hotel’s manager, Mohamad Sultan Abdul-Majid, has told the Ugandans to search for another place. But Juba city is facing an acute accommodation crisis.
Uganda has been given a plot of land to build its own consulate. However, with the just-concluded elections and the cost of universal secondary education, a consulate in Juba does not seem to be a priority.
in Juba, Sudan
IN Juba, Yei and other southern Sudanese cities and towns, nothing makes one happier than the appreciation and love bestowed upon Ugandans by the local population.
Since the historic signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in January last year, the government of southern Sudan has embarked upon the de-mining and reconstruction of roads, linking the land-locked south to its neighbours. This has heralded a new era of economic co-operation, creating a trade boom and opening new opportunities for investment.
Uganda was the first to open a consulate in Juba. Hence, its registration number is CD001. Following suit were USA (CD002), Norway (CD003), Kenya (CD004) and South Africa (CD005). The purpose of a consulate is to look after the interests of its nationals and seek investment opportunities.
But the current state of the Ugandan consulate is a shame to Uganda. The New Vision team visited the consulate, housed in a section of the dilapidated Juba hotel in the city centre. The office is a small room with unpainted wooden doors and widows and a broken ceiling.
Heavy rains last Monday flooded the consulate. Documents and office stationary were destroyed by the rain, that poured through the open windows.
The two staff members had no choice but to wait outside for the office to dry up. Heaped in a corner, to protect them from the rain, were fax machines, telephone receiver sets and other office items.
The staff resides in two small and sticky rooms behind the office. The stench from the toilets is all-penetrating.
“We have had no pumped water for many days,†said a policeman guarding the consulate. “It mostly comes at night, between 3 and 7 am. Therefore, we trap the water in drums and use it to flush the toilet.â€
In a nearby block, in the same hotel premises, is the consul’s residence. The consul, ambassador Busho Ndinyenka, himself renovated and painted the building, which contains two rooms.
Nevertheless, he still pays US$80 per day to the management of Juba Hotel, which is state-owned, for no service at all. He had to bring his own house-maid to clean the premises and cook. Busho carries out his office duties under a tree in front of his residence.
The consulate has no car. The consul and his staff either walk or hire a car. The car assigned to the consulate is in Khartoum, awaiting to be flown to Juba.
“We are proud of Uganda and we will never forget what President Museveni and the UPDF did for us,†said an officer of the SPLA, the previous rebels of southern Sudan.
“But we are ashamed about the state of Uganda’s consulate. This is not what is expected of a country which is seen as a hero here and whose traders have helped bring down the cost of living in Juba.â€
Previously, the consulate was located in a slummy sector in Juba Kebir near Juba market, behind Ivory Bank. Now Juba Hotel management is evicting Busho and his staff. Within a month, the hotel will be demolished to pave way for a five-star hotel.
On March 11, a Sudanese-Kuwaiti consortium bought the hotel for $40m. The hotel’s manager, Mohamad Sultan Abdul-Majid, has told the Ugandans to search for another place. But Juba city is facing an acute accommodation crisis.
Uganda has been given a plot of land to build its own consulate. However, with the just-concluded elections and the cost of universal secondary education, a consulate in Juba does not seem to be a priority.