Governor Adil orders restoration of power in Yei town

2026-02-17 - 14:58

JUBA, South Sudan (Eye Radio) – The Governor of Central Equatorial State, Emmanuel Adil Anthony, has ordered the immediate restoration of electricity services in Yei Town following a technical assessment of the Yei Electricity Corporation (YECO). has ordered the immediate restoration of electricity services in Yei Town following a technical assessment of the Yei Electricity Corporation (YECO). The directive comes after a state ad-hoc committee submitted a comprehensive report on the facility’s status after a week-long evaluation. The assessment team, led by Mr John Bullen, the Director General of the Ministry of Housing, Lands, and Public Utilities, examined the condition of the plant. The technocrats evaluated the machinery and the maintenance history required to bring the facility back to life after years of being offline due to past conflict. Yei holds a unique place in the nation’s energy history as the first town in what is now South Sudan to receive a public power grid following the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement. The project was a significant milestone, officially opened on October 1, 2009, during a ceremony at Yei’s Freedom Square. The Yei Electricity Cooperative was originally supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The American non-profit National Rural Electric Cooperative Association International (NRECAI) managed the installation, which included a streetlight grid covering Freedom Square and the central market. The system consisted of 87 poles and 25 streetlights powered by a central generator. However, a recent visit by Eye Radio in August 2025 revealed the extent of the decay. Years of conflict and neglect have taken a toll on the infrastructure. The power lines and poles that once symbolized progress now stand as a testament to the challenges of maintaining vital services in post-conflict regions. Governor Adil emphasized that bringing reliable power back to Yei is a critical step for the area’s socio-economic recovery. He noted that a functional power grid is essential to drive service delivery and support the people of Yei River County as they rebuild.