Juba plane crash calls to mind the kind of responsibility we as a country ought to have because travelling within South Sudan is only efficient, reliable and most convenient by air

I am here to register my sympathy and sorrow concerning the plane crash in Juba on Saturday 22^nd August, in which seven people lost their lives. My condolences go to the families and friends of the diseased. At the same time, I pray also for the repose of the souls of those who died in this tragedy that God may have mercy on them and grant them eternal life. I also pray that the Lord may grant healing to the one survivor of the plane crash.

 My sympathy also goes to the people from the area where the tragedy occurred as well as the people of Juba who awoke to the saddening news of the crash in their vicinity. This plane crash has sent a very scary wave throughout the country because it is not the first time, there have been other incidences of a plane crash in the recent past where the lives of people cut short. I, therefore, implore the people of South Sudan to take heart and courage in facing the reality of our country.

 This crash calls to mind the kind of responsibility that we as a country ought to have because traveling within South Sudan is only efficient, reliable and most convenient by air because the other means of transport by road and rivers are not much reliable, owing to lack of development of road network within South Sudan and lack of sufficient boats to navigate the rivers. Many roads become impassable during the rainy seasons making people grounded. Sometimes essential goods such as medicine and food supplies cannot be transported effectively to other parts of the country when roads become impassable due to rains and insecurity, this consequently deprives citizens of such essential goods.

 As such it is only by air that essential goods are able to reach other parts of our country. As a result, a lot of work needs to be done by the national aviation services or department together with the relevant ministry to ensure that safe aircraft are available in the country to offer the much-needed service. A lot of maintenance in some of these planes, which are old needs to be done frequently. The cargo planes meant for carrying cargo should not be made to carry passengers and above all, the international regulations for the air travel need to be employed in the country because this is the only means of transport that is now reliable in South Sudan and all necessary measures should be taken to maintain the safety of people and goods.

 I earnestly ask our government and those responsible to make sure that the flights operating in our beloved country are in good condition. At the same time, there is a need to properly capture the data of all passengers traveling by air within South Sudan to avoid any confusion that may arise in times of need. We have seen that when the crash took place, it was very difficult to get proper information, this means that the registration of the flight passengers and even cargo was not well captured. This needs to be looked into so that should such confusion does not arise in the future.

 It is my hope now that with this crash, the safety of flights will be greatly considered. Many times we have mentioned about the safety of the flights even on board but no improvements seem to have been done. I have been on one of those flights where the plane was heavily loaded and as we boarded, we just left our fate to God. Yes, planes do crash even in the most developed nations; but it is understandable if it is an accident and not something that could have easily been avoided if proper care was taken into consideration.

 Also, the order and proper management at the airport need to be looked into because that is the official door to our country for the international community. Having said that may I register my appreciation to all those who have been trying their best to ensure our safety as well as those who have continued to ensure that necessary services are done well.

 We are aware that most of those aircraft are old planes so we don't know how much they are being serviced. It is therefore important to look seriously into the issue of servicing the aircraft as frequently as needed.

 Finally, it is never the end of the road when things don't go well, there is always room for improvement. That is how growth is achieved. Let us, therefore, strive to improve on areas we are still lagging behind. As a country we cannot remain dependent on aircraft for reliable transport, we need the roads to be opened therefore the need for peace is in the country paramount. Let us use the country's resources to open major roads within our country as this will allow even those who cannot afford the air travel to also travel reliably, safely, and comfortably.