Strategic Lifeline to Kenya
Eastern Equatoria State broke ground this week on the Torit–Kapoeta–Nadapal highway, a 220-kilometre spine that channels goods and people from South Sudan to Kenya’s frontier market.
Governor Louis Lobong framed the project as decisive for commerce, security and national cohesion, stressing that smoother access to Mombasa port can temper soaring commodity prices.
Community-Funded Approach
Without central budget allocations, Rhino Star Construction began works using its own machinery and loans, while residents have been asked to donate fuel, maize or even chickens to keep graders rumbling.
Lobong reminded gathered chiefs that, in his words, ‘there is no money in Juba,’ making local ownership essential to finish the corridor before the next rainy season.
Technical Hurdles and Timetable
Managing Director Peter Atem estimated a three-month schedule but warned that at least 140,000 litres of diesel, far beyond the 30,000 already pledged, are needed to stabilize embankments and layer fresh gravel.
Crews must also rebuild four flood-prone bridges—Galerio, Timsah, Kinatye and Owinykiul—before heavier trailers can return to the route.
Calls for National Support
Atem appealed to the Ministry of Finance for emergency materials, arguing that a functional highway will offset the outlay by stimulating customs revenue at Nadapal.
Analysts in Juba note that public–private synergy has previously accelerated works on the Nimule road, suggesting the model could be replicated across the fragile transport grid.
Voices from the Road
Village chief Juma Ongodo Atana welcomed the bulldozers yet urged planners to consider a future 40-metre-wide tarmac, cautioning that seasonal torrents quickly devour gravel surfaces.
Small traders stranded last month, including families returning from Kenyan schools, echoed the plea, saying a reliable road is not just an economic artery but a humanitarian one.