President Salva Kiir - CREDIT | Office of the President | Nov. 29, 2021

Some South Sudanese have called on President Salva Kiir to lead the war against corruption as the country is ranked the second world’s most corrupt by Transparency International.

Last year, the country was ranked as the third most corrupt country in the world.

It attributed the reasons to the weak democratic foundation and the manipulation of undemocratic and populist politicians who use it to their advantage.

Speaking to Eye radio on the International Anti-Corruption day, some citizens blamed this on the way Kiir’s government handles corruption cases.

They say leaders who are accused of corruption are not arrested, charged or prosecuted.

This, they say, is the reason why corruption has been normalized in all government institutions.

They now call on president Kiir to take a leading role in the fight against corruption if the country is to prosper.

“I am calling upon the president of South Sudan to take the lead in fighting corruption in the country,” said the unnamed citizen.

“The Kiir administration does not want to fight corruption. We need the president to come out with a strong statement on the fight against corruption.”

“The first thing that needs to be done is the reform in financial management because the money the country has is not being used in the right way” another lamented.

“The civil servant does not get their salary regularly, of which it has a big impact in their life and it is their right to benefit from the country cake but due to corruption that is why they are suffering.

“We need reform in public administration and financial management, we need to stop impunity, transparency must be promoted and access to information to the citizens especially we the citizens need to know.”

“There are government officials using public money for their family use and taking their children overseas for studies and while citizens are suffering.”

“There is no way of tackling corruption in the South except that the anti-corruption commission is empowered and the corrupt officials are to be tried and prosecuted,” one of the citizens said.

The Kiir administration is often criticized for failure to deal with corrupt officials.

Several reports, including the latest – Oil or Nothing: Dealing with South Sudan’s Bleeding Finances – suggest that the administration misappropriated the country’s riches.

They say Kiir and his loyalists have amassed unexplained wealth, with the majority owning homes and businesses in the region.

And this is why he is unable to fight corruption.

Last month, President Kiir’s press secretary Ateny Wek Ateny said government is unable to prosecute corrupt officials for fear of rebellion.

The statement comes days after President Salva Kiir accused some of his former senior officials of siphoning off the country’s resources.

The unnamed officials, Kiir says, have opened personal bank accounts outside the country and have built skyscrapers and luxurious apartment complexes with money from the state coffers.