Torit commissioner, Nyong community fail to agree on land price

By Ijoo Bosco

September 4, 2013 (TORIT) – A meeting between members of the Nyong payam [district] and the Torit county commissioner to discuss the community’s share in the sale of 6,000 third class land plots in Ibiliari has ended in disagreement.

During the meeting earlier this week, members of the Nyong community, led by their chairman Eddy William Mutek, requested 350 South Sudanese pounds (SSP) from the sale of each of the 6,000 plots of land.

However, Torit commissioner German Charles Ojok says the amount demanded by the Nyong community is way too high.

Ojok said the approved price by the state government of third class plots is 525 SSP, adding that if the community insists on getting 350 SSP out of every plot sold, then it will raise the price of a plot to 875 SSP.

According to the commissioner, the 875 SSP would be too high for the non- working class in Torit to afford.

The commissioner wants the community to receive 75 SSP out of the 525 SSP set as the price of each of the plots, but the Nyong community has refused the offer, insisting they be paid 350 SSP.

The meeting ended without agreement, but the commissioner asked community members to commit themselves in writing to the amount that they want from the plots demarcated for sale.

Already 1,760 people have paid 350 SSP per plot to the community and are waiting to pay another 525 SSP to the Eastern Equatoria county butso far no land lease has been granted.

The Nyong payam community leadership plans to survey more than 12,000 plots of land. Half of it has already been surveyed.

(ST)