Candidates and voters in the chieftaincy elections in Rumbek East County have accused the Lakes State government and its electoral committee of election fraud, malpractices, and irregularities. They say elections were “deferred” for some chiefs in Cueiagak, Cueiadukan, Jiir, Matangai, and Maleng-agok payams after a gubernatorial order in December 2025 required all chiefs to face fresh elections in Rumbek Central and Rumbek East counties.
Panther Riak Dor, a candidate for head chief of Cueiagak Payam regional court, told Radio Tamazuj on Sunday that the state government’s decree opened all positions—including head chiefs, executive chiefs, sub-chiefs, and members of regional courts—to any eligible candidate. A nonrefundable registration fee of 5 million South Sudanese pounds (SSP) was required for candidates seeking head chief positions.
He said the announcement was widely understood across Lakes State, not just in Rumbek Central and East counties.
“I was a candidate contesting for head chief in Cueiagak Payam,” Riak Dor said. “We do not know whether the government deceived us or if it was a misunderstanding. The government informed us to contest all chieftaincy positions, so we mobilized resources and paid the full 5 million SSP registration fee. Later, we were informed that some positions would not be contested. People were not made aware of this in advance.”
Riak Dor said he spent 82 million SSP during his campaign, slaughtered 12 super bulls, sold 40 cows, and slaughtered 32 goats to feed voters. “I do not know who is responsible for these losses. If the government had informed us that the head chief position for Cueiagak Payam would not be contested, I would not have wasted my resources,” he said.
He urged the Lakes State government to act transparently in the future. “This kind of deception fuels gossip about corruption and erodes trust. The government must be honest and transparent in its decisions,” he said.
Daniel Laat, coordinator for the Community Empowerment Program in Lakes State, also expressed concern over the elections. He said the process began well and was welcomed by communities, but problems arose when candidates were barred from contesting after paying registration fees and being confirmed eligible.
“The term ‘deferred’ caused confusion because candidates were initially told they qualified to run, paid their fees, and even campaigned. At the last minute, they were informed the positions would be deferred to an unspecified date,” Laat said. “This undermines community trust and could threaten the peace we are enjoying.”
Akec Machek, chairperson of the chieftaincy elections committee, addressed the allegations without directly confirming or denying government involvement in irregularities. He said positions were deferred for several reasons, including the health of current officeholders, provisional appointment periods, or administrative requirements.
“In Cueiagak Payam, four positions were deferred because incumbents were ill or had been recently appointed and their provisional periods had not elapsed,” Machek said. “Five candidates were unopposed because no one competed against them, 11 won after elections, and 13 lost.”
In Maleng-agok Payam, 23 candidates were screened. Three positions were deferred due to provisional periods, one due to illness, five candidates ran unopposed, six won elections, and eight lost.
“Unopposed candidates are those where the community convened and no one contested their positions,” Machek said.