Central Equatoria Minister Lands, Housing and Public Utilities David Morbe Aquilino has refuted the allegations levelled against him and the state Government by the Parish Priest of St. Stephen Church in Munuki.
On Sunday, Rev. Paul Samuel Paul, Parish Priest of St. Stephen Episcopal Church in Munuki, accused Central Equatoria State of demolishing church buildings in an attempt to seize church land.
Rev Paul rebuked the state government for planning to demarcate Church land to individuals.
Meanwhile addressing media while handing over the area to the residents to follow up for their land titles, Minister Morbe denied involvement in land grabbing adding that the dispute was between the church and those residents in the area.
He expressed that the Government cannot take part in land grabbing but rather fight land grabbers to ensure fair and legal distribution of land to the people.
The Minister denied involvement of National security during the land dispute adding that the statement government was requested to provide services to the residents who have been in a place for years.
“There were a lot of allegations that the minister came with the National Security and opened roads and demolished a church building. This was on the request of the residents, and the government came and witnessed the process. We did not bring National Security, and we did not demolish a church. This is not true,” Morbe said.
“He (priest) said the Christians were caught by surprise. I remember when the minister came here, the residents welcomed us with brooms and mingling sticks with songs and dances that services are coming to their area, and in that committee, many officials spoke, and it was all documented.”He added.
Morbe refuted the claimed that the state government demolished the church land adding that the church is in place to be use as usual by the believers.
“We did not come with bull dozer, we did not come with national security and we did not demolish the church as you can see the church is there standing it is not touch” Minister said
He added that CES government is willing to cooperate with the church and ready to give more land to the church should the demand more for investment.
“We are standing with the church to give them more land if the need they should submit a request to us” he said
The minister called on the churches to separate church land from investment land.
“We urged the church to differentiate between Church land and investment land, we shall give land for the church and those who need land for investment let them write that the need investment land for the church and can not be mixed” he urged.
On the other hand, some residents of Gezira Residential Area in the Munuki rubbished the Episcopal Church of South Sudan’s land-grabbing allegations against the government.
Cecilia Beneth, a resident of Gezira and immediate neighbour to the church, accused the church leaders of trying to use the church to acquire the land for their benefit.
“The church is for everyone, and it has no problem; it is we, the people, who are at fault, and the pastors that are brought here are taking the church as a business,” she explained.
“It is known that this place is for the residents of the Gezira residential area, but now the people who are the leaders, like the parish priest, are the ones who want to do business in the name of the church in this place” she expressed.
She appreciated the Central state government for rescuing the residents from losing their land to some individuals using the name of the church.
Benjamin Bali Simon, Chairperson of Gezira residential area, explained how the church came into existence in his residential area adding that it fully belonged to the residents.
He said that even the plot number on the map that the church claims is the authentic one is a forged document.
