SPLM Chairman Salva Kiir presents Jemma Nunu to the SPLM members after her nomination as Speaker of the TNLA on Friday, July 23, 2021 in Juba. Credit| Office of the President

Jemma Nunu Kumba has been selected by the SPLM party as the next Speaker of the Reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly.

This was announced by the party chairperson, Salva Kiir at an emergency meeting held in Juba Friday afternoon.

Nunu Kumba is the current SPLM acting Secretary-General and the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs in the new unity government.

She is expected to abandon her ministerial position, but it’s not clear whether Nunu will continue as the party’s Secretary-General.

“So the deputy speaker after Nunu will be from the SPLM-IO, followed by (Parmena) Awerial. For the Council of States, the chair will be from the SPLM-IO followed by Ayen Majok, we will soon select the chief whip,” President Salva Kiir announced.

“So we have three women in the leadership of the legislature,” Kiir said, adding “our second deputy speaker will be Parmeno Awerial. This government is comprised of parties, not for SPLM alone, if it was for SPLM alone, we would have taken all these positions.”

Nunu Kumba who hails from Western Equatoria was appointed as the SPLM deputy secretary-general in October 2015, replacing Dr. Ann Itto.

She is also a member of the SPLM Political Bureau.

She was appointed as the first governor of Western Equatoria State in 2008 but lost the April 2010 election for governor to Joseph Bangasi Bakosoro.

On 10 July 2011, she was appointed the Minister for Housing and Physical Planning in the Cabinet of South Sudan and in August 2013, President Salva Kiir moved Nunu Kumba to Minister of Electricity, Dams, Irrigation and Water Resources.

Then in July 2016, she was appointed Minister of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism.

Jemma Nunu Kumba now becomes the first female speaker of the national parliament in South Sudan.

Since 2005, all previous parliaments have been led by male speakers –James Wani Igga, Magok Rundial, Lino Makana and the outgoing Obuch Ujwok.

Nunu Kumba will be deputized by an appointee of the SPLM-IO.

The SPLM also selected Parmena Awerial Aluong as the second deputy speaker of the transitional parliament.

It then selected Mary Ayen Majok as the Deputy Speaker of the Council of States. The SPLM-IO shall nominate the Speaker of the Council of States.