Thiik Thiik Mayardit, Deputy Mayor of Juba. | Courtesy photo.

Juba City Council’s Deputy Mayor for Social Services said he will take legal action against UAP insurance company in two weeks’ time, should it fail to reinstate 57 national staff that it dismissed in 2023.

In mid-September 2023, dozens of South Sudanese nationals working for the UAP firm protested an alleged domestication of Kenyan nationals considered as expatriates.

The striking national staff also complained about poor working environment, in the protest letter.

They alleged that some of their colleagues had their contracts terminated for raising the grievances during meetings.

About 57 of the South Sudanese staff of the insurance company have since been dismissed.

South Sudan Ministry of Labor intervened in October that year and ordered that UAP reinstate the national staff and nationalize positions of Kenyan employees working from their country.

The insurance company ignored the labor ministry’s directive, infuriating Thiik Thiik Mayardit, the Deputy Mayor of Juba City for Social Service, who ordered the insurance company to shut down.

But the Mayor of Juba City, Flora Gabriel Modi revoked his deputy’s order and reopened UAP insurance company. Mayor Flora then rebuked Mr. Thiik for overstepping the City Council’s jurisdiction.

However, in a press conference on Monday, Deputy Mayor Thiik said he is poised to take legal actions against the company if the matter is not resolved.

“Give me two weeks, so in that matter I will go to court. The same thing also, I am saying it here, that is why I am saying it will be the last resort if they don’t want to listen,” he said.

“It will be the last resort and I will go to court, and I will look for a defense lawyer for these people to defend them. I will go as a witness because this country belongs to us, and I don’t say something which I don’t know.”

“I am not a flattering person, why should you flatter? If they want to remove me because I am saying the right thing to the people of South Sudan, let them remove me so that the people of South Sudan can see.”

Mr. Thiik also threatened to disclose some allegedly damaging information – should he be sacked from his position.

UAP was not immediately available for comment on the issue.