Cuei-Adukan Payam: New Axis of Local Governance
On Wednesday, jubilant drumming and ululation echoed across Rumbek Central County as leaders cut the ribbon on Cuei-Adukan Payam, a fresh administrative node carved from the vast openness of Lakes State.
Officials stressed that the payam’s birth answers years of appeals from residents who argued that the 90-mile trek to Amongpiny left them last in line for public services.
Policy of Bringing Town to the People
Cabinet Affairs Minister Stephen Mathiang Deng framed the move as a textbook application of the SPLM vision that public offices travel toward citizens, not the other way around.
He noted that distance, population size, and revenue prospects met statutory thresholds, securing what he called an “airtight legal foundation” for the new unit.
In rapid show of capacity, neighbours from Abien-Ajok reportedly raised nearly SSP 20 million in under five hours, while traditional leaders donated fourteen cattle, reflecting a culture where livestock still equals capital.
Women, Elders and Youth Chart the Road Ahead
Women’s chairperson Rose Arop Makur voiced hope that the momentum will translate into classrooms, clinics and a permanent police post, anchoring stability for future generations.
Paramount Chief Sabit Kuac Manyiel vowed to guard peaceful borders and promised continuous mobilisation of resources, a pledge echoed by visiting Executive Chief Majak Deng Mabok, who hinted that Abien-Ajok Payam may be next in line for celebration.
Fiscal Discipline and Service Delivery
Deng urged residents to keep taxes flowing, arguing that locally generated revenue will finance brick-and-mortar symbols of governance, from administrative blocks to rural road links.
Observers in Rumbek say the experiment will be judged not by speeches but by the speed at which paperwork, medicine and teachers reach cattle camps scattered across the plains.
Regional Ripples Across Greater Lakes
Analysts suggest that if Cuei-Adukan delivers tangible services, other distant bomas may lobby for similar upgrades, gradually redrawing the governance map of Lakes State without waiting for national directives.
For now, drums fade, but expectations remain high that the new payam can convert ceremonial excitement into everyday impact.