The recent presidential decrees issued by President Salva Kiir Mayardit, making changes within the Revitalized Transitional Government of Central Equatoria State, have once again drawn attention to how leadership positions in our country are filled and managed. While leadership changes are normal in any government, the real concern for many South Sudanese citizens is not who is appointed or relieved, but whether these changes will improve the lives of ordinary people.
Since independence in 2011, citizens have never had the opportunity to elect their leaders through democratic elections. Leadership has largely been determined through appointments and decrees. In a democratic system, leadership should come from the will of the people, not only through repeated decrees.
The main purpose of government is service delivery to its citizens, yet many basic services remain extremely poor. In Juba, the capital city, access to clean running water remains a challenge even after independence. Citizens rely on water delivered by tankers, sometimes operated by foreigners, despite the presence of the Great Nile River passing through our country.
Education systems remain weak and under-resourced, and healthcare services are limited and struggling. These realities show that changing officials alone will not solve the deeper institutional challenges.
The economic situation in the country is extremely difficult. In many banks, citizens can only withdraw about 50,000 South Sudanese Pounds, which often cannot even cover transport costs to reach the bank. This level of hardship demands serious reforms in economic management, accountability, and public financial systems.
Years of conflict among South Sudanese have resulted in millions becoming Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees in neighboring countries. Instead of celebrating political appointments, we must ask ourselves how leadership can bring peace, reconciliation, and national unity.
Another major challenge is the increasing ethnic division in politics and governance. When appointments are viewed through ethnic lenses, citizens begin to celebrate when “their person” is appointed and criticize when someone from another community replaces them. This mentality weakens national unity and distracts from the real issue, performance, and service delivery.
Institutional strength matters more than individuals, and, for example, when a minister, such as the former Culture, Youth and Sports Minister, is removed after a short time in office, it raises important questions: What criteria are used before appointment? Are institutions strong enough to continue delivering services regardless of who leads them? How do we measure the performance of public officials?
Strong institutions should function beyond individuals.
Democracy requires accountability and participation; for South Sudan to demonstrate that it is a democratic country, it must move toward regular and credible elections, transparent governance, accountability of public officials, and citizen participation in decision-making. Frequent decrees without democratic participation risk weakening public confidence in government.
Government leadership should align with the vision of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by focusing on clean water and sanitation, quality education, peace, justice, and strong institutions, and economic growth and poverty reduction.
South Sudanese citizens should not focus on celebrating or condemning appointments based on personalities or ethnic ties. Instead, the national conversation should focus on how leadership changes can strengthen institutions, improve service delivery, restore peace, and move the country toward genuine democracy. The real question is not who has been appointed or removed, but whether these leaders will help transform our institutions and deliver meaningful development for the people of South Sudan.
The writer is a South Sudanese civic educator and governance advocate from Central Equatoria State. He studies Governance and Human Rights at Uganda Martyrs University and is a fellow of the African Civic Engagement Academy (Georgia University) and the Young African Leaders Initiative. He currently serves as a Civic Educator with the Sabah Jedid Initiative, focusing on community empowerment, civic engagement, and public policy awareness. He can be reached via justoson.yuasa@stud.umu.ac.ug.
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