A committee formed to follow-up on former state officials' financial dues was yesterday barred from seeing President Salva Kiir Mayardit after the president's security asked them to present Covid-19 negative certificates before entry.
The committee which represents former government officials for the defunct 32 states was scheduled to meet Kiir on Thursday and deliver a complaint letter over delayed payment of their dues after service.
“Security refused us to meet the president and asked the members of the committee to show a certificate of corona examination, and they forced us to go and conduct the examination yet this certificate is for people traveling outside the country," Peter Gatkuoth Chuol, the spokesperson for the committee and former advisor for peace and reconciliation for the defunct Southern Liech State told Radio Tamazuj.
Gatkuoth explained that President Kiir had earlier issued an administrative order to pay financial dues to former officials and to form a follow-up committee headed by Vice President for Economic Affairs James Wani Igga.
"The Wani Igga committee failed to complete its mission, and they received some money, so they became uninterested in the issue. The Ministry of Finance said that the main decision did not reach them, and therefore we formed a committee to meet with the President of the Republic to demand our rights," he noted.
Gatkuoth added, "Government officials in the previous 32 states, including advisors, governors, commissioners, and parliamentarians, their number is 1,815 officials who are demanding post-service benefits."
The former official stressed that they will continue to demand their dues until they are paid as per the president's promise.
"We must get our financial dues, and we do not demand our rights because we have not found jobs," he said.
He admitted that a few former officials have been appointed in the new transitional government, but they too are claiming their rights.
According to the former government official, President Salva Kiir's administrative order specified that the governors would receive $50,000 and the rest of the officials $40,000 each.