South Sudan’s anti-corruption body is set to see its budget more than quintuple under draft spending plans for 2025-26, even as the government struggles to contain endemic graft that has drained public coffers for years.
The Anti-Corruption Commission is proposed to receive 6.58 billion South Sudanese pounds in the national budget, a sharp increase from 342 million pounds in 2024-25 outturns, according to budget documents reviewed by Radio Tamazuj.
The draft budget – which still requires parliamentary approval – allocates 2.05 billion pounds for staff training, with an additional one billion pounds each for contracted services and supplies. Another 200 million pounds is earmarked for medical expenses.
President Salva Kiir’s government has long faced international criticism over entrenched corruption in the world’s youngest nation, where senior officials have been accused of siphoning public funds while basic services remain non-existent in large areas.
Under the plans, the commission’s staff would increase by nearly 80 percent, from 64 to 115 personnel, including new prosecutors and investigators focused on asset recovery.
Yet anti-corruption watchdogs remain sceptical.
A policy analyst welcomed the proposed funding boost for the commission but warned that “money alone” would fail to curb graft without deep-seated institutional reform.
“The increase in budget is a positive development,” Boboya James Edimond told Radio Tamazuj. “However, financial resources alone are not sufficient to ensure effective accountability.”
Edimond said that while the commission is vital for boosting government revenue, it remains hamstrung by political interference and a lack of independence.
He noted that investigations may be initiated, but prosecutions and enforcement depend on other institutions within the justice system. Without strong coordination between the commission, the Ministry of Justice, and the judiciary, he said accountability efforts can stall regardless of budget allocations.
The analyst highlighted structural hurdles that persist despite the proposed budget increase, pointing to weak enforcement mechanisms, limited operational independence from the executive branch, and gaps in the legal framework.
Edimond questioned whether the commission currently has sufficient prosecutorial authority and protection from external influence to fulfill its mandate effectively.
Beyond financial allocations, he called for stronger protections for whistleblowers and more transparent public reporting mechanisms. Consistent prosecutorial follow-up, he said, would be a “game-changer” in the fight against graft, and he urged lawmakers to use the budget debate as an opportunity for structural and legal reforms.
“Strengthening the fight against corruption requires not only enhanced budgetary allocations, but also clear legal authority, enforcement powers, institutional independence, and protection from political interference,” he said.
The proposed boost comes as Finance Minister Bak Barnaba Chol seeks to narrow the fiscal deficit through “revenue mobilisation and improved tax compliance.”
Total government spending is projected at 8.58 trillion pounds for 2025-26, with non-oil revenues forecast to nearly double. Oil receipts still account for 74 percent of revenue estimates.
South Sudan remains one of the world’s most corrupt countries, ranking near the bottom of Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.