Former commissioner denies Jadalla’s sacking linked to state capital relocation

JUBA – The former Governor of Central Equatoria, Augustino Jadalla Wani, was not relieved because he failed to comply with an alleged order from the national government to relocate the state capital from Juba to Yei River County, said former Lainya County Commissioner, Emmanuel Khamis.

Jadalla was sacked by President Salva Kiir on 16^th June 2025 after only one year in office. No official reason was given for his removal, but the reshuffle came amid allegations that his administration was being coerced to accept a directive from the executive branch of the government to transfer the state headquarters.

Despite a public denial of such claims by Jadalla’s office, the speculations, mostly spread through social media platforms, grew even rife following the veteran politician’s dismissal.

However, Mr Khamis dispelled the reports, claiming that they are aimed at manipulating the public to think that Rabi Mujung, Jadalla’s successor, was appointed to push the agenda widely viewed as unpopular in Central Equatoria State.

“The ongoing propaganda circulating is that the former governor, Gen. Augustino Jadalla Kamilo Wani, was removed because he refused to a demand to relocate the state government headquarters to Yei, ⁠conflict with the national revenue authority, and ⁠refusal to issue land to the Dinka,” Khamis stated.

“The above propaganda is just intended to cover up some realities and maybe a tool that those propagandists want to use to portray that the current governor is appointed to implement some specific Jieng agendas, which is not true,” added Khamis.

Mr Khamis, who also served as the Acting Mayor of Juba City Council in 2023 before his removal by then-governor Emmanuel Adil for allegedly assaulting a female street vendor, reiterated that such allegations were baseless without evidence.

“As I previously argued, there is no traceable record of the alleged instructions for CES to relocate its state government headquarters to Yei or anywhere, and there is no proof of the other allegations cited as reasons for the removal of Governor Jadalla,” wrote the former commissioner.

Khamis stated that the claims about the state capital relocation to Yei River county lack credible evidence to back them.

“There are clearly persistent issues that need to be addressed critically in CES, and instead of running around with propaganda that has no basic evidence, let us individually and collectively salvage CES from collapse and give whatever support to the [new] governor during his tenure in office,” he appealed.