Hon. Jemma Nunu Kumba: A loyal, committed and hardworking SPLM member
By Deng Akok Muoradid, Juba, South Sudan
April 28, 2018 (PW) — Hon. Nunu Kumba is a loyal, committed, hardworking and patriotic senior member of SPLM who had dedicated her life to serve the party and the entire people of South Sudan. She is a successful and patient comrade who had been in SPLM since 1991, the year she abandoned her studies and joined the people’s movement at kidepo valley in the Eastern Equatoria State.
She is a career politician with over 27 years of political experience in various fields at the national, regional and continental levels and she had served in several positions during the liberation war, after the CPA and after the independence of South Sudan. She is one of the patriots who had played a great role in the liberation struggle that later resulted into the birth of the Republic of South Sudan.
In 2002, Hon. Nunu Kumba was appointed by the then SPLM Chairperson Col Dr. John Garang as an SPLM delegate to the peace talks with the Sudan government in Machakos and Naivasha, Kenya respectively and she played active roles in the negotiations that later resulted in to the signing of CPA in 2005.
In 2005, she was appointed by the SPLM chairperson to the National Parliament in Khartoum where she served as the chairperson for the committee of economics affairs, marking the first time for a woman in Sudan to head such a committee in the parliament
While in Khartoum, she was nominated to represent Sudan as one of the five members of Sudanese Parliamentarians to the Pan African Parliament and served as a head of this delegation and she was the first South Sudanese woman to be at PAP.
She was later elected to the position of Deputy Chairperson of the committee for cooperation, international relations and conflict management of the Pan African Parliament.
Hon. Nunu Kumba also served as a member of the National Council of the African Peer Mechanism under NEPAD- AU, Government of National Unity, Khartoum Sudan and member of National Advisory Council to the ministry of foreign affairs, government of national unity, Khartoum, Sudan.
In 2006, Hon. Jemma Nunu initiated the establishment and became the founder of the Sudan National Women Parliamentary Caucus in the national parliament in Khartoum and served in this body as a Deputy President. Therefore, the coming of S.W.P.C into existence is a result of Nunu’s endless struggle towards gender equality and women empowerment and is a milestone in the history of women empowerment in Sudan and South Sudan.
However in 2008, Hon. Jemma Nunu was recalled back to South Sudan by the SPLM leadership and given a new assignment as a governor of Western Equatoria State. She was the first woman to serve as a governor in Sudan and South Sudan by then.
At the time of her appointment, Western equatoria was poor interm of social services delivery and physical infrastructures since the few standing infrastructures were devastated during the war.
During her tenure in office, she accomplished many unprecedented achievements in the state. For example, her government made a significant improvement in the health and educational sectors through construction of schools and health centers, provision of scholastic materials and health equipment, institutionalization and professionalization of public institutions in the state.
In addition to that, her government also improved agriculture as well as physical infrastructures i.e. many agricultural centers were established, construction and renovation of roads, bridges, modern office premises and electricity power plant in Western Equatoria state. It is to be noted that Nunu Kumba is the only governor who have constructed a modern football field in S. Sudan.
Nunu Kumba has also initiated and facilitated scholarship opportunities for numerous young people both in South Sudan and abroad. She strongly believes in youth empowerment, unity, civilization, development and modernization of harmonious South Sudan.
After the national elections in 2010, she was immediately appointed as GOSS National Minister of Housing and Physical Infrastructures in June 2010 and in that capacity, she used embarked on the pilot project of a modern estate of 50 houses for government officials. The 25 houses were completed and unfortunately she was moved to another ministry hence the project stalled.
Furthermore, she was appointed as a National Minister of Electricity, Dams, Irrigation and Water Resources. As a minister, comrade Nunu was able to bring electricity back to the residents of juba city as well as water supply which was absent for many years. Comrade Nunu was nick named Nurak from the word “Nur” in Arabic which means electricity by the women of juba.
In her capacity as the minister of water resources, she became the chairperson of Nile Council of ministers (Nile Com) of the Nile basin initiatives. She was also appointed as a chairperson of inter ministerial committee for building Ramciel city. Within that period she was able to complete the feasibility studies of the proposed new capital city through South Koreans consultants.
Nunu Kumba is currently a national minister of wildlife conservation and tourism, SPLM deputy secretary general, acting SPLM Secretary General, chairperson of Nile Council of Ministers (NILE COM) of the Nile Basin Initiative, member of the Constitutional Review Committee, member of SPLM national liberation Council, member of SPLM political bureau and an advocate for girl child education and women empowerment.
Hon. Nunu Kumba is a bachelor degree holder in public administration and management from the University of Namibia. She also holds a Diploma in leadership development for women from Mondole Ecumenical institute, Kitwe, Zambia and she has attended a number of short course training in Africa and in US.
The author is a member of SPLM S.L and he is reachable via Tel: 0921637574 or Email: dengakokmuoradid@gmail.com
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