1 December 2014 - UNMISS today handed over a new police detention facility to authorities in Wulu town, south of the Lakes State capital Rumbek.

The facility, made up of three prison cells, was constructed with support from the mission’s Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) funding at a cost of $47,500.

“One of the main problems here is the capacity of the law enforcement agencies,” said Acting Governor Santo Domic Chol, highlighting how vital the project would be for the state.

The older facility was no longer in use because part of its wall had collapsed, resulting in the need for the new one which Wulu County Chief Benjamin Akol Mourwel says will help accommodate numerous suspects.

“The prison will help very much,” he said. “We had an old prison which (was) built during the British (colonial times) but it was in bad shape.”

The new facility was built to accommodate more than 30 suspects with separate cells for women, men and the mentally unstable. Construction took three and a half months.

UNMISS State Coordinator Kwame Dwamena-Aboagye explained the rationale behind the mission’s QIPs.

“When a small thing is needed in the community, and no other funds are available, UNMISS can do something to build confidence in the mandate,” he said. “Such projects should benefit the whole community.”

Another QIP to rehabilitate four boreholes in Wulu will start this week.

Since 2012, a total of 10 QIPs have been completed or are still under construction in the state.