JUBA – The South Sudan Contractors Association claims that it is demanding from the national government accrued arrears of 700 million US dollars for various road projects.
The association’s chairperson, Malish Martin, said the sum is a payment for work on roads linking the capital Juba with different parts of the country over the last five years.
Martin stated that they met Vice President for Infrastructure Cluster, Taban Deng Gai, yesterday to raise the issue. He warns that failure to pay the arrears will leave with no choice but to stop work.
“As I stated yesterday, we are owed in excess of 700 million. The road works that were being done across the country, it is done by the members of the association,” he said.
“All these companies you see, doing Bor Road, doing Yei Road, doing Bahr el Ghazal Road, and doing Juba-Torit-Kapoeta Road, these are all members of the association with hospital contractors.”
“We have tabled the ideas to the Vice President, to the government, that they should really pay, because if they don’t, the contractors will not return to the roads. And if they don’t fix the roads, the country will be cut off.”
Vice President Taban’s office confirmed the meeting with contractors in a statement, adding that Taban urged them to be patient as the government work out ways to pay their arrears.
“The Vice President…..Gen. Taban Deng Gai has called on the contractors to exercise patience as government works out ways to settle accrued arrears amounting to seven hundred million United States dollars ($ 700,000,000),” the statement said.
“H.E Gen Taban assured the contractors that his office would engage with relevant stakeholders such as Ministry of roads and bridges, Ministry of Finance as well as ARC which is the main contractor.”
