Kiir Appoints Daughter of Ex-SPLM Deputy to Senior Government Post

(JUBA) – President Salva Kiir Mayardit has appointed Agum Awet Akot, the daughter of former senior SPLM official Gen. Daniel Awet Akot, as the new undersecretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, following the dismissal of Debora Akec from the same role. The appointment was announced on Friday through a presidential decree aired on the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC).

Agum’s father, Gen. Awet, a liberation war veteran and long time political figure, was removed by Kiir in May as second deputy chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM). His daughter’s rise to a senior post marks yet another instance in which children of prominent SPLM figures are being positioned within top levels of government.

This latest reshuffle continues a noticeable trend. Earlier in March, Kiir appointed Atong Kuol Manyang, daughter of another liberation era politician Gen. Kuol Manyang Juuk, as the national minister of trade. The pattern has raised concerns among civil society groups and political observers who see it as favouritism within ruling party circles.

Commenting on the trend, Ter Manyang Gatwech, a civil society activist, questioned the merit of the appointments.

“If this is how he intends to reward the sons and daughters of former liberators, then this is not how the country should be run,” he said. “They should have the qualifications and merit to fit such positions.”

He added that the move was part of a broader political strategy.

“This is how they will reward them. Seeing them enter one by one is not surprising. In the coming days or months, South Sudanese will see more new faces as they try to reward SPLM leaders, especially those recently removed.”

In May 2025, President Kiir made significant changes within the SPLM hierarchy. Gen. Daniel Awet Akot was replaced as second deputy chairperson, while Gen. Kuol Manyang Juuk was also removed as third deputy chairperson. Their posts were taken over by Mary Apai Ayiga and Simon Kun Puoch, the former governor of Upper Nile State.

At the same time, other presidential decrees reshuffled the top ranks of the ruling party. Vice President James Wani Igga was stripped of his roles as SPLM’s first deputy chairman and secretary-general.

South Sudan has not held national elections since its independence from Sudan in 2011. Kiir has remained at the helm of the government since 2005, initially serving as president of the semi autonomous Government of Southern Sudan. Following the death of Dr. John Garang in a helicopter crash in July 2005, Kiir took over SPLM leadership and was later sworn in as president of the independent Republic of South Sudan in July 2011.

Recent SPLM-Linked Appointments and Changes