President Kiir Appoints Deceased Candidate to Election Team

Juba South Sudan , 4 February 2026 - President Salva Kiir of South Sudan has caused a political stir by appointing a presidential election team member who had been dead for five years. On 30 January 2026, a decree named Steward Soroba Budia, a former member of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP), to oversee preparations for the December 2026 presidential election. However, it was later revealed that Budia had passed away five years ago. The announcement triggered widespread social media ridicule. Following the revelation, Kiir fired David Amour Major, former presidential press secretary, and Chief of Staff Valentino Dhel Maluet, citing errors in relying on collaborators for appointments. A statement from President Kiir’s office expressed gratitude for their work while confirming their dismissal. Budia had been a key figure in the 2018 peace agreement, which aimed to end the post-independence fighting in South Sudan that began in 2011.