President Salva Kiir has lamented the living conditions for majority of South Sudanese and called on his cabinet to seriously embark on service delivery.

President Kiir who was addressing thousands of people who attended the second anniversary of the Independence Day in Juba on Tuesday cautioned government officials from rushing abroad to seek medical assistance and leaving the health and education sector in a deplorable condition.

“Some of you can afford to go to Kenya, India or South Africa for medical treatment, but what about the majority of people of South Sudan?

“They cannot make it. And if they cannot go abroad, do you leave them to perish?

“It is not good, and it will have to stop, because they deserve access to a well-equipped and a well-staffed hospital in Juba or in Bentiu or in Malakal.

“It is also excellent that we have big plans and high hopes for building more schools in the future, but what do we tell the parents who cannot afford to take their children to boarding schools abroad?

“They also deserve to have schools now for their children.”

President Kiir said he is not oblivion to the challenges facing citizens in the country.

He said his government will work to improve the livelihood of every soldier and family:

“I am aware that many of you cannot afford a meal every day, I am aware that a mother struggles every day to feed her household of 20 people with less than 20 pounds a day, I am aware of the SPLA soldiers whose salary cannot meet all their needs, and you struggle to pay your house rent, feed your family, pay school fees for your kids and pay medical treatment.

“These scenarios must change and they are going to change my people.”

President Salva Kiir also said that the 2013/2014 budget will focus on improving food security and boosting economic development in the country, mainly on three areas:

Boosting agriculture, mining and other non-oil sectors of the economy – in partnership with the private sector, to create jobs.

It will also concentrate on rapid development of infrastructure to support economic development, including development of alternative export route for our oil.

And the budget will help improve basic services in education, health and water for people in the rural areas.

“Our aspirations for South Sudan’s development are set out in Vision 2040, we will work so that our government has the capability to implement our development plans,” he added.

President Kiir added that every States in South Sudan should uplift the livelihood of widows and orphans by availing the services such as school, primary healthcare and security.