Ambassador David Amuor (Courtesy)
Juba, 03/02/2026
By Savanna Radio Staff Writer
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has fired two top aides after his office appointed a man who died five years ago to a key national elections body, triggering public embarrassment and ridicule.
What happened? A presidential order named Steward Soroba Budia to a new leadership panel tasked with guiding preparations for South Sudan’s elections expected in December. Local media and opponents quickly pointed out that Budia, a politician linked to an opposition party and a signatory to the 2018 peace deal, has been dead for several years. The error sparked widespread criticism and mockery on social media, raising questions about basic vetting in the presidency.
Aides sacked by President Kiir: Kiir has now dismissed his presidential press secretary, David Amour Majur. He also sacked Valentino Dhel Maluet, chief administrator in the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, who has been a key figure in the president’s inner circle. In the removal notice, the president’s office publicly thanked both men for their service, without directly mentioning the scandal.
Official explanation: Before his dismissal, press secretary David Amour Majur issued a statement blaming the mistake on a “stakeholder” that allegedly failed to verify the nominee’s status before submitting his name. The presidency says it relied on lists provided by peace partners and has promised to correct the decree and replace Budia on the panel. Officials have also promised stronger verification checks to avoid similar errors in future appointments.
Why this matters: The blunder comes as South Sudan tries to organize its first national elections since independence, amid ongoing insecurity and delays in implementing the 2018 peace agreement. Critics say the incident underscores deeper governance and credibility problems at the heart of the state just months before a crucial vote. For many citizens, the appointment of a deceased man has become a symbol of what they see as a detached and error‑prone political elite.
Several past presidential decrees by President Salva Kiir have been criticized as blunders or poorly handled, even if they were not as extreme as appointing a deceased person. Reported by the Radio Tamazuj, observers note a pattern where decrees are issued and then quietly revoked or corrected within days, creating a sense of confusion and improvisation in the presidency. In May 2017, a presidential decree restructuring the army led to public confusion about whether the force’s name had officially changed, forcing the government to issue clarifications that the acronym SPLA remained. In 2018, another decree announced changing the army’s name from Sudan People’s Liberation Army to South Sudan People’s Defence Forces, sparking legal and constitutional criticism over whether the president had the power to do this unilaterally.
These episodes, together with the recent appointment of a dead man, feed a broader public perception that presidential decrees in Juba are often rushed, poorly vetted, and sometimes politically abusive rather than strictly constitutional.
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