Teacher for Terekeka County constituency

There is a mocking joke about teachers that does the rounds in Juba: that they are always vegetarians because none of them can afford meat. It is true that teachers in South Sudan are often on strike due to none payment of their salaries by the Government of Southern Sudan.

Now, in the upcoming elections a teacher is running for a parliamentary seat in Terekeka County of Central Equatoria State.

Mr. Albino John Laku, former head teacher of Juba girls secondary school, told sudanvotes that his county has numerous problems like education and cattle raiding which hold back development. He said “cattle don’t fight over grazing land but it’s the people, so people are the problem themselves, they need to be enlightened to co-exist”. Laku further stated that the county has a very low literacy rate in the state compared to other counties, which Ladu would also want to address if he was voted for. “The county needs leaders who scrub the nomadic life style of the people, the spirit of cattle raiding and finally bringing guinea worm to a cease in the area” the ageing Laku said. He asked that politicians stop lying and end tribal hatred. He warned against those who call for referendum before elections, saying that they should wait patiently for referendum because both are important elements in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) sealed in 2005 to end decades of civil war.

Competing against four other candidates for the county representation in the government of National Unity (GoNU) Parliament in Khartoum, Laku is very optimistic he can win despite the unpopularity of his party, the Democratic Unionist Party (DP) in South Sudan.

Terekeka County is still a highly affected by guinea worm. The people still drink water from the river Nile, and there are no modern water points in the area. In 2009 the county conflicted with its neighbours, the Dinka Bor in the East, and as a result Mundari villages were burnt and hundreds displaced. They also fought with their Bari neighbours south of the County.