(Disclaimer: Net worth figures are intended to satisfy curiosity and have never been easily verifiable, even by Forbes or Bloomberg. All assets and liabilities referenced here are based on open source intelligence and public information. Use financial information at your own risk.)
(Juba) – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir seems to have quietly built a financial empire more fortified than his trademark black Stetson in a country where most citizens are lucky to afford two meals a day and dodging potholes is a national sport.
While his official salary sits humbly at about SSP 420 million per year (or $60,000 USD at the official exchange rate or a cool SSP 700 million on the parallel market), his shadow business portfolio paints a vastly different picture. If you are still wondering why roads never get fixed, it may be because they are already “constructing” generational wealth for the first family.
ABMC Thai-South Sudan Construction Company Limited, a name longer than your average Juba traffic jam comes first came into focus in 2025. Officially fronted by Benjamin Bol Mel, it has been awarded at least $161 million in government contracts. Now, depending on which street you are standing on, whether it is Bilpam or the murky mud of Munuki, you might still wonder where exactly all those roads are.
Kiir, of course, has denied any ties to ABMC. His press secretary, Ateny Wek, assured the nation that the president does not even own a personal bank account. According to Ateny, “the president had cows in Luri,” not contracts. The cows have since been repatriated to Warrap State and with them presumably went the last trace of accountability.
But multiple sources inside government and the company paint a more animated portrait. They claim ABMC doesn’t just build roads, it also cultivates crops at Kiir’s private Luri farm through a sister company called “Garden of Eden,” a name that rings more biblical than bureaucratic. In a country often described as heaven’s last priority, it appears someone built their Eden right in Central Equatoria.
Kiir’s Public vs Alleged Business Interests
| Category | Official | Alleged / Reported |
|---|---|---|
| Salary | $60,000/year | ~$1B business interests |
| Declared Assets Since 2012 | None | Properties, companies |
| Known Shares in ABMC | 0% | Majority (by proxy) |
| Personal Bank Accounts | None | Offshore accounts suspected |
| Projects in Luri | Cows | Agriculture via ABMC |
| Roads Constructed by ABMC | 55 miles (Juba) | $161M+ in contracts |
Then there is the now defunct Yanyyom Mineral Water and Beverage Factory, where Kiir’s wife Mary Ayen reportedly owned a 25% stake. It was launched with pomp and plenty of plastic bottles in 2008, named after the peaceful Lake Yanyyom near Akon, the president’s hometown. Production stopped in 2023, not for lack of water, but due to what staff called “crisis” and “shortage of dollars and fuel.”
For a factory bottling water in a country sitting on the Nile, it is quite the irony.
On the topic of real estate, The Sentry, an investigative NGO co-founded by actor George Clooney suggests that members of Kiir’s extended family are living their best lives in upscale Nairobi neighbourhoods like Lavington and Runda. These suburbs are more accustomed to Range Rovers than rickshaws and feature two storey villas with private pools.
While most South Sudanese struggle to get boda-boda fare, Kiir’s grandkids reportedly attend schools costing $10,000 a year or around SSP 70 million. That is more than a lifetime salary for most public servants in Bentiu.
It doesn’t stop at water, roads or Nairobi real estate. The Kiir empire is reportedly scattered across multiple sectors in media, advertising, food distribution and even oil services. Former secretary Akot Lual is rumoured to have been rewarded with a house in Jebel by ABMC, and Kiir’s son, Manut, allegedly helped secure contracts.
The president’s office has called this all “malicious,” “baseless” and “unSouthSudanese.”
The Transitional Constitution is rather clear. Public officials, including the president, are forbidden from engaging in commercial activity while in office. But if the constitution was enforced with the same enthusiasm as Kiir wears his Stetson, perhaps the country would be in a different situation altogether.
The roads might still be broken, but the business model is not. When oil money flowed like River Nile in flood season, ABMC reportedly raked in millions. But when the government shut down oil production in 2012 over a squabble with Sudan, even ABMC couldn’t escape the financial drought.
By 2013, its employees were complaining on Facebook (South Sudan’s other parliament) about not being paid. Posts suggested hardship.
Despite the denials, the President’s family has popped up on shareholding documents of companies as diverse as Rak Media (which counts the Office of the President as its top client) and Yanyyom. There are also hints of properties abroad — in Nairobi, Kampala and perhaps even Dubai, although this may require more than Google Earth to confirm.
So how rich is the man who officially earns less than the CEO of your average Juba supermarket? A conservative estimate places the president’s net worth in the neighbourhood of $700 million to $1 billion USD, including assets held by proxies and family.
That is SSP 3.25 trillion to 4.65 trillion at the official exchange rate or enough to buy every boda-boda in South Sudan and still have enough left over for designer cowboy hats.
Disclaimer: All net worth estimates are based on publicly available and open source gossips, satellite speculation and the odd whisper from a boda boda driver. We can’t promise it’s accurate. Even Bloomberg, Forbes and that guy at Jebel Market have trouble keeping up. Use at your own financial risk and don’t try this at the Anti-Corruption Commission.
All figures are subject to change faster than South Sudan’s cabinet. We welcome corrections if you feel the numbers are unfair.
