In his farewell address delivered on Monday in Rumbek, Tueny reflected on his tenure, describing security restoration and grassroots reconciliation as the cornerstones of his administration. He urged residents to extend the same cooperation to his successor to preserve the gains achieved over the past years.
“I appeal to you to cooperate with the new governor in sustaining this peace we have fought for. I leave this office with my head held high, knowing that I left a peaceful and stable Lakes State,” he said.
Gen. Tueny noted that he assumed office at a time when Lakes State was grappling with lawlessness, cattle-related violence, and deep-seated communal tensions. According to him, his administration made the protection of life, property, and human dignity its top priority.
“At that time, we recognised a fundamental truth: security is a matter of development. Without this stability, schools cannot educate, hospitals cannot be established, farms cannot yield produce, and markets cannot flourish,” he said.
He emphasised that peacebuilding efforts were not imposed from above but were built through community engagement. He cited a public consultation meeting held at Freedom Hall in Juba in 2021 as the starting point of a broader strategy to involve citizens in restoring order.
Under his leadership, he said, roads that were once notorious for ambushes have become safe for travel, allowing for freer movement of people and goods across the state. He also highlighted measures taken to address criminality, including relocating repeat offenders from overcrowded rehabilitation centres to national training facilities.
Gen. Tueny further pointed to efforts aimed at transforming armed youth by recruiting and training them into the national army, shifting their role from fueling local instability to safeguarding the nation.
On traditional justice, he said his administration restored the authority of chiefs to handle long-standing blood feuds and community disputes. “Peace is not just the absence of war. It is the presence of justice,” he stated, adding that efforts were made to return raided captives and break cycles of revenge attacks.
Beyond security, the outgoing governor said his government initiated reforms in the education sector, including the removal of ghost schools and fictitious names from payrolls, as well as the recruitment and training of qualified teachers.
As he exits office, Gen. Tueny maintained that the stability achieved in Lakes State provides a foundation for continued development and called on all stakeholders to safeguard what he described as hard-won peace.
