In a striking administrative blunder that sparked widespread mockery on social media, President Salva Kiir has dismissed two senior aides after his office appointed a man who has been dead for five years to a key panel tasked with paving the way for long-delayed national elections.
The controversy erupted when a presidential order dated January 30 named Steward Soroba Budia (also referred to as Steward Sorobo Budia or Steward Sorobia Budia), a member of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) and one of the signatories to the 2018 peace agreement that ended years of civil conflict, as part of a consultative body for election-related discussions. The panel, comprising representatives from various political parties and stakeholders, was established to facilitate dialogue ahead of elections tentatively set for December this year.
Local media quickly highlighted the error: Budia had passed away approximately five years earlier, around 2021. The revelation triggered ridicule online and raised fresh questions about the government's organizational competence in a country still recovering from prolonged instability since independence in 2011.
In response, President Kiir swiftly relieved his press secretary, David Amour Major, and the chief administrator in the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Valentino Dhel Maluet, of their duties. An official statement, signed by Minister of Presidential Affairs Africano Mande Gedima and posted on the president's Facebook page, announced the sackings without specifying reasons, though it expressed Kiir's "profound gratitude" for their service.
Prior to the dismissals, Major had issued a press release attributing the mistake to an "unfortunate administrative oversight," explaining that the president's office had relied on names submitted by various stakeholders, assuming their accuracy and currency.
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