South Sudan’s vice president, Dr. James Wani Igga, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament
Thomas Tayebwa and other regional officials attended the closing ceremony of the East
African Community Inter-Parliamentary Games in Juba.
Tayebwa praised the tournament, saying it will strengthen East African Community unity
and that empowering South Sudan to host it showed trust in the nation’s capacity. “May every one of us make a resolution when we get home to thank South Sudan for hosting the games since they debunked the stereotypes and assumptions that the
media portrays about South Sudan?
I applaud South Sudan,” he stated during the ceremony held at Freedom Hall in Juba on December 1, 2022. “This spectacular event is a show of goodwill in the young nation and an affirmation of our Speakers who picked South Sudan to host the games.”
The importance of the games in promoting a quicker, more durable regional integration
was emphasized by Tayebwa.
The games are one of the instruments for fostering closer ties and more integration
among partner states, he noted. Vice President Wani praised the competition as historic
and claimed that it will strengthen cohesion.
The value of these historic competitions was undeniable, and some even compared
them to the Olympics; they were entertaining and noteworthy. This greatly contributes to
bringing the community together. According to him, these games will help the East
African Community as a whole as well as our region in a bid to “cement peace and
solidarity.”
The host speaker, Hon. Jema Nunu Kumba, commended the East African Community
forum’s Speakers’ Bureau for permitting the games to be held in the continent’s newest
country.
We genuinely are one people with one destiny, and today is a big milestone as MPs
from the EAC gather on this momentous occasion of the EAC Games’ award night.
Despite the media’s unflattering depiction of South Sudan, I thank the Speakers Bureau
for giving the SSD the opportunity to hold this session.
“Inclusion is continuous; we are still working on the accomplishments we have so far;
we should take advantage of the opportunity provided by sports,” she continued.
Due to ongoing counting and compilations, the actual prizes were postponed; however,
Uganda won all but one of the football and basketball games.
After dominating the competition at the Buluk Stadium in South Sudan with numerous
gold and silver medals from the various competitive categories, the team in athletics is
anticipated to be named the best overall.
Thomas Tayebwa, the deputy speaker, had a solid performance in golf in Nairobi,
Kenya, giving Uganda a favorable seat in the final standings.
Darts players Hon Mpindi Bumali (Ind.) and MP Ronald Balimwezo (NUP, Nakawa East)
made their competitors regret entering the tournament, as the two dominated unchallenged. The team nonetheless continued its domination in Juba, where the sweltering heat didn’t hinder their ability