South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has dismissed two senior officials after a man who died five years ago was mistakenly appointed to a government committee on electoral reforms.
The sacked officials are the President’s Press Secretary, David Amour Major, and the Chief Administrator at the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Valentino Dhel Maluet. Their dismissal was announced in a statement released by the presidency shortly after the error came to light.
The controversy followed a presidential decree issued on January 30, which named Steward Soroba Budia as a member of a panel mandated to steer discussions on South Sudan’s electoral process. However, local media reports later revealed that Budia had been dead for about five years.
The revelation sparked widespread criticism and ridicule on social media, with many questioning how such a glaring oversight could occur at the highest levels of government.
In its statement, the presidency explained that the Office of the President had relied on the “accuracy and currency” of names submitted by various stakeholders for inclusion on the committee.
