Yei River County


Yei River County is an administrative area in Central Equatoria with a large population of people who settled in that particular county.
Aggrey Cyrus Kanyikwa is the current commissioner for Yei River County. He was appointed by President Salva Kiir Mayardit as recommended by former Central Equatoria State Governor, Emmanuel Adil Anthony.
Yei has had many communities including the Pojulu, kakwa, Mundu etc, Welcoming businessmen and investors as it grows.

Demographics

Yei River County is divided into smaller sub-regions. As of January 2023, there are five payams: the Yei Town payam, the Otogo payam, the Mugwo payam, the Tore payam, and the Lasu payam.The county was divided into four counties in April 2016, however, in 2020 the divided counties were all reverted back and merged into Greater Yei River County as follows below:
  1. Lainya
  2. Morobo
  3. '''Kajo-keji'''

    Yei River County Payams

Mukaya Payam
1-Dimu togeleng
2-Dimu tomurek

Mugwo Payam

Mountains in mugwo payaam
1-Mugwo mountain
2. Longamere Mountain

Lasu payam

1 Tokori boma
2 Asole boma
3 Lasu boma
4 Jabara boma newly established

Tribes under Lasu Payam

  • Kakwa
  • Keliko
  • Pojulu in Tokori boma

    Geography, economy, and humanitarian status

Yei River County is located in the state of Central Equatoria. It is bordered to the east by Lainya County, to the south by Morobo County, and to the north by Western Equatoria State. It shares a long western border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The county is distinguished by hills and dense forest cover. Several rivers, including the River Yei, flow north through the county in the western and eastern parts.
The county is located in the equatorial maize and cassava livelihoods zone, according to FEWSNET. According to an FAO and WFP report from 2018, 30% of the county's households depended on small scale agriculture. Furthermore, Yei County's soil and climate due to climatic changes, is not as an ideal location for agricultural activities as before. Following the outbreak of conflict in 2016 and climatic changes, Yei County experienced one of the country's largest drops in harvested areas, with the county's cereal harvest dropping from surplus to deficit. Before 2016, Yei had a high incoming population from neighboring states and countries. The presence of the Yei River in the area also allows residents to pursue fishing as a source of little diet, though access is limited due to extended periods of insecurity in the area.
According to IPC projections, the county had Minimal levels of food insecurity in 2016. However, due to the second outbreak of conflict in South Sudan, IPC projects classified the country as being in Crisis for the first half of the year. Insecurity in the county limited farmers' access to land and also hampered trade routes, which were critical for small businesses to survive.
According to OCHA's Humanitarian Needs Overview for 2020, there are approximately 224,000 people in the country who have significant humanitarian needs, including IDPs. This corresponds to approximately 83% of the HNO's estimated population. Because of access issues, humanitarian organizations were unable to provide critical services to many vulnerable populations in Yei County in 2019, exacerbating the population's humanitarian needs. The county's protection needs were described as "catastrophic," with one of the highest levels of contamination of landmines/explosive remnants of war, gender-based violence, and child protection concerns in the country.

Schools in Yei River County

Secondary Schools

  • Yei day Secondary school
  • Midland secondary school
  • St. Joseph Lutaya secondary school
  • Kinji Secondary School
  • Immanuel Model secondary school
  • Yei public Secondary school
  • Kings College
  • Excel Academy Secondary School
  • Nile High Secondary School
  • EPC Nehemiah Secondary School
  • St. Paul Secondary School
  • Yei girls' senior secondary school
  • Days star secondary school
  • Green Secondary school
  • Rash secondary school
  • Brilliant secondary school
  • prince of peace high secondary school

    Primary Schools

  • Immanuel Model primary school
  • Lutaya primary school
  • Lomuku primary school
  • Mahat primary school
  • Kinji primary school
  • Jigomoni primary school
  • Rwonyi primary school
  • Kanjoro primary school
  • Midland Academy Nursery & Primary School
  • Nyongwe Primary school
  • kololo primary school
  • EPC Nehemiah primary school
  • Lizira primary school
  • Lupapa primary school
  • Christ The king primary school
  • St Cicilia primary school
  • Wuluturu primary school
  • CCM primary school
  • St James primary school
  • New Generation primary school
  • Salam primary school
  • Marakonye primary school
  • Hope primary school
Top Performing Private/Church funded Primary Schools in Yei River County, CES - South Sudan irrespective of the order.
  • Midland Academy Nursery & Primary School - Private
  • Narrow Gate - Private
  • EPC Harvesters Primary School - Church funded
  • Immanuel Model Primary School - Church funded
  • Spirit Primary School - Private
  • Light House Primary School - Private
  • Christ the King Primary School - Church funded
  • EPC Nehemiah Primary School - Church funded

    Administration

The county's administrative center is in Yei Town Payam. Yei River County is on South Sudan's southern border, connecting it to trade routes through Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Following independence, Yei River County was regarded as a stable area with significant development in terms of government institutions, educational facilities, and healthcare. However, sustained insecurity in the area, as well as in neighboring counties, has had a significant impact on all of these, and insecurity along the Juba-Yei road has impacted trade routes that support the economy. Due to this, access to the county has been greatly reduced. Humanitarian organizations and residents enter the area from the Ugandan side of the border.
Prior to the outbreak of conflict, Yei's infrastructure was gradually being developed, but the conflict has hampered further investment. Although Yei does not have a hospital, it does have well-served clinics, some of which are funded by international aid. Yei is also home to the Yei Teacher Training College, one of only a few such institutions in South Sudan. The institution, which was founded in 2001 by the Episcopal Diocese of Yei, has drawn students from all over the country. The Lantoto National Park is located in the county's west, but its precise boundaries are unknown, and illegal poaching has been a persistent problem exacerbated by insecurity.

Conflict dynamics

The region has historically been an SPLA stronghold, and Yei River County was relatively unscathed after the conflict began in December 2013. However, due to its infrastructure and proximity to the border, it became a site for IDP hosting as hundreds of Nuer IDPs sought refuge in counties such as Yei River, where they were protected by the government in the former UNMISS compound. These IDPs were mostly families of soldiers who had defected to join the opposition. Following the outbreak of fighting in these counties in May 2015, approximately 3,000 IDPs from Mundri and Maridi sought refuge in Yei. Yei River County has also served as a refugee settlement for those fleeing neighboring countries, particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Due to the continued presence of armed rebel groups in the area and neighboring counties, the situation in Yei County changed significantly following the escalation of conflict in 2016. This resulted in significant internal displacement as well as migration across international borders, primarily to Uganda. While there is no official Protection of Civilians site in Yei, there are ad hoc displacement sites and IDPs living among the host community in the area. According to the most recent data from early 2020, Yei is home to approximately 67,511 IDPs and 10,097 returnees.
The National Salvation Front, led by Thomas Cirillo, has clashed with the South Sudan People's Defense Force in the area on numerous occasions and is not a signatory to the 2018 peace agreement. Clashes were reported as recently as May 2020, and as a result, the area's future security remains uncertain. In addition to the civil war, land disputes caused by migration to the area have strained relations between the host community and those who have settled in the county.

Commonly loved foods in Yei River County

Yei rive county is a good place with various meals ranging on different time of the year as followed below:
Ugali: A stable food made from maize flour, cassava flour, millet flour and sorghum flour, cooked to a thick-porridge like consistency.
Nyama Choma; A type of grilled meat made from goat or beef, seasoned with spices and served with a side of vegetables
Chapati: A type of flatbread made from wheat flour, often served with stew or curry.
Pilau: A fragrant rice dish cooked with spices, vegetables, and sometimes meat.
Mandazi: A sweet, deep-fried doughnuts often enjoyed as snack or dessert.
Fried fish: Fresh fish fried to perfection and served with a side of rice or Ugali.
Matoke: A dish made from cooked plantains, often served with a savory sauce or stew.
Samosas: Deep-fried pastries filled with a savory mixture of meat, vegetables and spices.
Roasted maize: Grilled or roasted corn on the cob, popular street food snack in Yei

Climate

Yei has a tropical savanna climate. It is warm every month with both a wet and dry season. The average annual temperature for Yei is 55° degrees and there is about 386 inch of rain in a year. It is dry for 115 days a year with an average humidity of 68% and an UV-index of 6.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Day temp. 919290858382818182828387
Night temp. 676969666463636363646465
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Precipitation 151535433741495072354
Days with rain341221262528292928176
Dry days28241995532131325
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Sun hours per day10101099999109910
Wind force 222222111222
UV-index776666666667