South Sudan President Salva Kiir has sacked the East African nation’s speaker and deputy speaker of parliament, according to a decree read out in the parliament on Tuesday.
Tulio Odongi Ayahu, chief whip of Kiir’s ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), announced the decree removing Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba and her deputy, Permena Awerial Aluong, from their posts in the Transitional National Legislative Assembly.
The move follows a petition last week by SPLM caucus members accusing Kumba of corruption linked to the alleged mismanagement of parliamentary funds and calling for her removal.
Kumba, who made history in 2021 as the first woman to serve as speaker of South Sudan’s parliament, has not responded to the allegations.
Kiir appointed Joseph Ngere Paciko and Abuk Paiti Ayiik as the new speaker and deputy speaker, respectively.
The sackings come after Kiir, in late February, abruptly fired the then finance minister Bak Barnaba Chol, who had been in office for just three months, without giving a reason.
Analysts say Kiir frequently reshuffles senior political and military posts to maintain his grip on power amid persistent instability and speculation over his eventual succession.
