Hawa locals grateful to CJ, team for visiting prison facility

A COMMUNITY leader from Hawa village in Tari, Hela, has thanked Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika for visiting Hawa Correctional Service facility.
Hawa Correctional Service was abandoned in 1997 due to shortage of water supply for prisoners and warders as a result of an El Nino.
Paul Panda Ngibe, one of the young community leaders of Hawa village, was instrumental in voluntarily taking ownership of securing the Hawa prison facility.
Since 2005, Ngibe led a handful of like-minded villagers from Hawa, Hubi and Talini clans, who provided security and imposed a duty of care for the abandoned prison facility when three separate tribal fights raged the once peaceful hillside county into a bloody battle field.
They took the risk on voluntary basis for the love of government service while everyone deserted the area because of bloodshed.
“I was very elated to learn about the high profile visit his honour Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika and his delegation had paid last week to see the Hawa Correctional Service facility.”
“On behalf of the people of Hawa, Hubi and Talini clans, I would like to convey a sincere word of appreciation to his honour Sir Gibbs Salika, newly-appointed Hela resident Judge Justice Martin Kaumi, CS Commissioner Stephen Pokanis, CS Commissioner for Highlands Region and Hela administrator William Bando,” Ngibe said.
He said the people were supportive of reopening the prison facility as they had demonstrated during the turbulent times.
There were also other inter-Hawa tribal conflicts, inter-Ajako tribal fights and extension of a deadly warfare from Pujaro to Hawa, which hindered the progressive attempts of reopening the prison over the recent years.