8 July 2015 - UNMISS today handed over a new court building to the judiciary and people of Greater Kapoeta in Eastern Equatoria State.

The $50,000 structure, comprising a courtroom, judge’s chamber and clerks’ office, was built with funding from UNMISS’ Quick Impact Projects (QIPS).

Speaking at the handover ceremony in Kapoeta town, UNMISS State Coordinator Hiroko Hirahara said the decision of county commissioners in Greater Kapoeta (four counties) to make the courthouse a priority showed they understood the need to strengthen rule of law in their area.

“This building is fundamental in upholding the rule of law and protecting the rights of people in Greater Kapoeta by giving them access to justice,” Ms. Hirahara said.

The county judge in Kapoeta South, Malek Chol Malek, said the new building gave him and his staff a conducive environment to work in.

“For us to be able to do our job properly, it is important that we have the right infrastructure,” said the judge, who had previously been hearing cases in a rundown county building.

County Prosecutor Morris Sebit said the building was “a huge step forward in providing access to justice in the area”.

The head of the UNMISS section coordinating Quick Impact Projects in Eastern Equatoria, Jane Frances Nankaayi, said the county court building joined a series of other UNMISS projects in Kapoeta.

“In the previous rounds, we built a detention facility for the police, classroom blocks for a primary school and a piped-water system,” she said.