Exposing the Corruption of VSF Germany Programme in Gok State, South Sudan
By Daniel Juol Nhomngek, Kampala, Uganda
March 24, 2018 (SSB) — It has been a while without having written something in respect to social evils in our society. This is because I have been engaged in an activity that demands a lot of concentration and attention.
However, it has reached a point where it has become necessary to write something about the activities of VSF Germany in Gok State. VSF Germany is an International German Organization that promotes a holistic approach, integrating human, animal and environmental health, and pursues humanitarian, development, scientific, educational and advocacy objectives. VSF Germany believes that healthy animals, healthy people and a healthy environment are essential for a prosperous future for all of us. In order to promote its objectives, VSF Germany has offices in various countries in the world and in Africa in Particular.
Thus, VSF Germany is currently present in Eastern and Horn of Africa. Its regional office is in Nairobi and field offices in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. Its present in these countries is with purpose. The purpose of VSF Germany is to support pastoralist communities in developing their main source of food and income through animal health and livestock production, which explains the main reason for VSF Germany being currently in Gok State.
The programme of VSF Germany in Gok State is to support the vulnerable people. These vulnerable include orphans and widows, persons with disabilities (blind, lames and other people in that category). The programme indicates that these people are supposed to receive a bag of sorghums or SSP 15000 in lieu of the bag per a person.
When the above amount is be calculated times four month it is found that each person is supposed to receive a total of SSP 60,000 once the programme takes off. This programme is supposed to be implemented in all the counties of Gok State for the next four months and then after that VSF Germany is supposed to review it to determine whether it is achieving its purpose or not.
In term of implementation, the programme is put under the authority of Local Government in collaboration with commissioners and executive directors who are supposed to implement it to benefit the categories of people already mentioned above.
Nonetheless before it takes out, it is already embroiled in allegations of corruption scandals. The allegations of corruption have been labeled specifically against the authorities of two counties of Cueibet and Abiriu.
Those whom I spoke to but requested me not to disclose their identities for the fear of personal security labeled accusations against the authorities of the abovementioned two counties in Gok State. They accused them to have messed up the whole process in order to benefit their relatives, leaving out the true vulnerable people who are in true needs.
Hence, widows, persons with disabilities and vulnerable children that are supposed to benefit have been left out and instead the members of the families and their relatives are the ones who have been identified for VSF Germany as vulnerable people in the two counties in Gok State.
However, it should be noted that though no specific person is pointed out in Abiriu County to be responsible for the mess, in case of Cueibet County, the people I spoke to persistently pointed at the Executive Director, Mr. Mabor Dheng as the one responsible for the mess. They said that he is the one responsible for the mess since he has registered those who are not supposed to benefit under the programme.
In addition, it is reported that he allowed the wives of honorable to register in order for them to benefit under the programme, which has completely sidelined the real people who should have benefitted under the Gok State VSF Programme.
The question is therefore who is supposed to benefit from VSF Germany programme of supporting vulnerable in GOK State? What does the term vulnerable mean in the understanding of the authorities who are being accused in the two counties?
In respect to the rest of the counties in Gok State, I have tried to find out how the programme is being implemented but I did not get a negative report. So, I am still waiting for the report and once I receive allegations of corruption in respect to the VSF Germany programme. I will report it to the public.
Due to the mess explained above, the people affected have appealed to VSF Germany that since the programme has not yet started, the whole process in the two counties should be overhauled and identification process of vulnerable people reviewed in order to get the right people registered instead of wrong people benefiting under the programme which may make the programme fail to achieve its purpose.
In short, this article is intended to expose the corruption that has invaded VSF Germany Programme in the two counties in Gok State. The vulnerable people are being sidelined and there is a need for intervention to help them so that the programme is saved from being corrupted and diverted to benefit wrong people.
The writer and the reporter is Gok State citizen and a lawyer. He can be reached via: juoldaniel2000@gmail.com
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