Juba Church Land Row Gains Fresh Momentum
Hope flickered in Juba as Christ Church Nakasongola and the Transitional National Legislative Assembly reopened dialogue over the contested plot beside the Dr. John Garang Mausoleum.
Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba tasked First Deputy Speaker Ambrose Lomin with chairing a December 22 meeting, marking the highest-level intervention since church walls were reportedly razed mid-2023.
Parliament Mediation Seen as Olive Branch
Rev. Michael Kenyi Lemi told journalists the assembly acknowledged congregants’ pain and voiced commitment to an ‘amicable solution’ that avoids more demolitions.
Deputy Speaker Lomin allegedly reassured clergy that officials ‘understand your suffering’ and prefer peaceful settlement over forced eviction, according to meeting notes shared by the church.
Courts Remain Central to Resolution Path
Despite warmer rhetoric, Rev. Lemi insisted every commitment be ‘written and stamped’, reminding both sides the suit filed in 2022 still proceeds in domestic courts and at the East African Court of Justice.
Church attorney Santino Wani is expected to exchange drafts with government lawyers, including an inventory of destroyed assets central to any compensation figure.
Site Carries Symbolic Weight for Both Sides
The auburn-bricked sanctuary has anchored worshippers for over four decades, while parliament argues the parcel was earmarked in 1972 for regional administration, making it public land.
Repeated eviction attempts triggered clashes in 2023, yet clergy like Rev. Abraham Marial now stress forgiveness and reconciliation, stating ‘we seek peace, not revenge’.
With fresh talks slated for early next year, many observers view the Speaker’s intervention as a pragmatic step that could de-escalate tensions while letting courts clarify ownership.