Rising Fees Under Scrutiny
A row over traffic charges has dominated South Sudan’s Transitional National Legislative Assembly this week.
Lawmakers argue fresh directives from Traffic Police headquarters breach statutes the house approved in 2022.
Drivers Face New Certificates
The orders introduce a semi-annual driving test certificate, compulsory even for motorists already holding valid licences.
Fees linked to the certificate, alongside altered timelines for licences and logbooks, sparked immediate concern among legislators and civil society.
Human rights lawyer Reech Malual warns the policy risks pricing low-income drivers off the road.
Legal Framework Sparks Debate
MP Giel Thou, representing Mayom County, told the chamber the measures are ‘designed to extort money from citizens’.
He reminded colleagues that a 2022 amendment made vehicle logbooks permanent, abolishing the prior five-year renewal cycle.
Security committee chair Samuel Buhori Loti added that inserting insurance data in logbooks effectively resurrects an annual fee regime.
Call for Ministerial Accountability
Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba stressed that only parliament can set revenue streams, insisting the interior minister explain the divergence.
She noted that citizens already grapple with economic pressures and should not shoulder extra administrative costs.
Lawmakers also flagged mounting requirements such as permits for tinted windows, calling the trend confusing and inconsistent.
Next Steps on the Assembly Floor
The house resolved to summon Interior Minister Angelina Teny and Traffic Police chief Kon John Akot to justify the contested orders in the next sitting.
Until then, MPs advise motorists to retain existing documents and await formal clarification.