National Elections Commission Headquarters in Juba. Photo credit: Wol Mapal/Eye Radio

National Elections Commission Chairperson has said the five million dollars allocated for election preparations will be distributed to South Sudan’s ten states and three administrative areas this week.

Speaking during an African Union engagement in Juba, Prof. Abednego Akok Kachuol said the funds would support electoral activities at the grassroots level as preparations for the December 2026 elections gather pace.

“Next tomorrow, this five million will be distributed in the entire states and the three administrative areas. The funds will go to the ground,” Kachuol said.

He stressed that successful elections would require political will, adequate resources and legal support.

“What I mean here is the political will towards elections,” he said, adding that a consistent flow of funding is needed to ensure preparations remain on track.

The remarks come as the Commission prepares to publish the official electoral timetable, a legal requirement that must be met at least six months before polling day.

The NEC has already confirmed that the elections will be conducted using the 2010 constituency boundaries after delays in conducting a national census.

Despite recent government funding for voter education, the Commission says it has received only a fraction of the resources required to organize the elections.

President Salva Kiir has repeatedly pledged that the elections will take place in December 2026, despite concerns raised by some civil society groups about security and preparedness.

The vote is expected to be South Sudan’s first national election since independence in 2011.