Historic Upgrade for Nimule Municipality
Joyous ululations echoed across Nimule as Vice-President Josephine Lagu Yanga cut the ribbon on the town’s new municipality on Wednesday, officially raising the bustling border settlement to the same administrative rank as South Sudan’s major cities (Eye Radio).
The legal proclamation, signed earlier this month by Governor Louis Lobong Lojore, converts the formerly county-managed town into a self-administered municipality with its own council, budget and mayoral office, a first for Eastern Equatoria’s southern corridor.
Gateway Town Holds Strategic Value
Straddling the White Nile and the busy Juba-Kampala highway, Nimule handles most goods entering South Sudan from Uganda, including fuel, cement and fresh produce. Customs officials estimate that over 70 percent of imported cargo touches the town’s dry port before heading north.
Decentralization Agenda in Action
Vice-President Yanga framed the upgrade as evidence that ‘services must not wait in Juba’ but move closer to citizens, echoing the national decentralization policy adopted in 2020. Analysts say municipal status grants wider tax powers, enabling faster road repairs, waste management and policing.
Ceremony Draws National Figures
Beside the Vice-President stood Environment Minister Josephine Napwon Cosmas, state lawmakers, clerics and elders draped in colorful beads. Their speeches stressed harmony between returning refugees and host communities, a sensitive theme as the area rebuilds from past cross-border conflicts.
First Tasks for Mayor Ceaser Longa Fuli
Mayor-elect Ceaser Longa Fuli, a former customs officer, pledged to digitize revenue collection within six months and to ‘keep the streets lit, swept and safe.’ He said the municipality will publish its first budget before the next rainy season to avoid project delays.
Prospects for Residents and Investors
Business associations predict that clearer urban bylaws will attract warehouses, hotels and agro-processors, boosting youth employment. Yet civic groups call for transparent land allocation to prevent speculation. Regional economists will watch whether reduced checkpoints accelerate freight, trimming costs for consumers nationwide.
Looking Ahead for Nimule
Over the coming year, a municipal census will inform service plans and update property records. If targets are met, officials hint that other trade corridors, such as Kaya and Renk, could follow Nimule’s path, extending the decentralization blueprint across South Sudan’s borders.