South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Jenifer James
Tensions have escalated between the Episcopal Diocese of Juba and the Central Equatoria State government over a disputed piece of church land in Munuki. Church leaders accused the state of illegally opening roads and damaging church property, despite a court ruling in their favor.
The Assistant Bishop of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan (ECSS) in Juba, Jackson George Gabriel, challenged statements made by the Minister of Housing, Land, and Public Utilities, clarifying the church’s position on land ownership.
“I’m here to enlighten the public about the controversial issue between the Diocese of Juba and the Central Equatoria State government over our land in Munuki,” Bishop Gabriel stated. “We acquired the land legally in 1987 through the then Ministry of Housing, and this was signed by our diocesan secretary, Archdeacon John Conga, along with a representative of the Ministry.” He said during a press conference on Tuesday
According to the bishop, 21 individuals who were originally on the land were compensated with alternative plots in Bilinyang, and documentation confirming this is held by the church.
Despite multiple court rulings between 2021 and 2024 affirming church ownership, Gabriel said government officials began opening roads on the land without consultation in March 2025. “I called the Deputy Governor and later spoke with the Governor, who acknowledged that the land belongs to the church,” said Gabriel.
However, the Bishop reported that later that month, the Ministry returned and began demarcating the land again. “They destroyed the residence of our priest, our offices at St. Stephen and St. Thomas parishes, and even the church toilets,” he said.
The church leadership met with the Governor to protest the damage and was surprised when the Governor claimed inconsistencies between the church’s land documents and those held by the Ministry. Bishop Gabriel rejected this assertion, stating, “Our documents are from the Ministry of Housing itself and have been verified by the judiciary. If our documents are illegal, then the Ministry and the courts are being declared illegitimate, which is unacceptable.”
Bishop Gabriel emphasized that the church is not engaged in land grabbing. “We are a public institution. We were allocated this land legally. To now be told our papers are fake is deeply offensive to both our church and the institutions that issued them.”
He further alleged that political motives may be behind the renewed demarcation. “The Minister told people that opening roads on church land would help win votes in future elections. We have that on record,” Gabriel said.
The Bishop also refuted government claims that the church accused authorities of destroying the church itself. “We never said that. We said they destroyed our pastor’s residence, our stores, our offices, and toilets—but not the church building,” he clarified.
Regarding demands that the church apologize for public comments made by parish clergy, Gabriel was firm: “We will not apologize. Our priests are authorized to speak on behalf of the church in defense of public property and rights.”
He called on the Central Equatoria State government to cease all redemarcation activities on the disputed land, compensate the church for all damaged infrastructure, and respect the rule of law while refraining from interfering with ongoing court proceedings.
“We are calling on our parliament to investigate this matter and summon the Minister of Housing for questioning,” Gabriel added.
The bishop concluded by expressing hope that the judiciary will enforce its rulings with an eviction order but acknowledged that the rainy season may delay implementation. “We are only waiting for the eviction letter. Everything else has been settled in court.”
