South Sudan

South Sudan MPs urge suspension of infrastructure projects to pay civil servants

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir attends a meeting on the cutting of the number of states from 32 to 10, at the State House in Juba, South Sudan, on February 15, 2020. (Photo: Jok Solomun/Reuters)

By Mwangi Maina | Wednesday, June 12, 2024

The MPs urged this action on Tuesday while reacting to reports from the country's Ministry of Finance to the parliament on the looming hunger crisis in the country.

Some members of the South Sudanese national parliament want the government to redirect infrastructure funds to the payment of civil servants who have gone nearly nine months without salaries.

The MPs urged this action on Tuesday while reacting to reports from the country's Ministry of Finance to the parliament on the looming hunger crisis in the country.

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They grilled Minister Awow Daniel Chuang, along with the ministers of Agriculture and Food Security as well as Trade and Industries, over the economic hardship the country has been facing.

One of the contentious issues in Tuesday's session was the prolonged delay in the payment of civil servants' salaries, which the MPs said was because of infrastructure development projects.

MP Peter Gatkuoth proposed that the parliament pass a resolution, for instance, suspending the Akon International Airport project in Warrap State, and diverting the money to salaries.

"I have been hearing about Akon International Airport and that even though Juba is not up to the standard to be an international airport, the money has been taken for the construction of the airport, which is okay, but we didn't go through it in this parliament [sivc]," he said.

"Therefore, the resolution should be taken and all the projects that go to this particular thing should come back [sic]."

MP Peter Adwok called for a "united stand" in declaring an emergency in the country and urged the government to reallocate money reserved for roads and bridges to the payment of civil servants.

"Our Minister of Finance, it's time all of us stood up and requested a declaration of emergency in this country and [for] money reserved for roads and bridges [to] be divided [for] salaries," he said.

Civil servants and soldiers routinely go months without pay.