(NAIROBI, KENYA) – South Sudan has completed the legal steps required for its general elections scheduled for December, President Salva Kiir Mayardit has told Kenyan President William Ruto, while logistical and financial preparations are under way.
Kiir’s office said he made the remarks during a meeting with Ruto at State House in Nairobi on Monday, as Juba seeks regional support for the polls.
An inter-party dialogue is also continuing, with Kiir urging political parties to build consensus on election-related issues.
Ruto welcomed the dialogue and encouraged South Sudanese parties to maintain negotiations, according to Kiir’s office. The two leaders also said credible elections are important for peace and security in the region.
South Sudan is scheduled to hold general elections on 22nd December 2026, in a vote intended to end the country’s prolonged transitional period. The elections have been repeatedly delayed since independence in 2011.
Kiir dissolved the transitional unity government and the national legislature on 22nd September 2026 and appointed a caretaker administration, following amendments to the electoral law that removed some legal conditions previously linked to holding the elections.
The move has raised the stakes for political dialogue as South Sudan prepares for the polls under a power-sharing arrangement established by a 2018 peace deal that ended five years of civil war.
The African Union and other regional and international actors have called for a peaceful transition and credible, inclusive and transparent elections.
Ruto said Kenya would support South Sudan’s electoral preparations and also expressed satisfaction with relations between the two countries.
“Kenya stands ready to support South Sudan in this endeavour while encouraging dialogue and consensus among all parties,” Ruto said in a post on X.
“We expressed satisfaction with the strong relations between our two nations and resolved to continue opening more opportunities for trade and investment for our citizens,” he said.
The two leaders also discussed regional economic cooperation. Ruto thanked Kiir for South Sudan’s participation in last week’s launch of the Dangote East Africa Refinery in Lamu.
The leaders also discussed economic cooperation, including reducing charges on containers bound for South Sudan and operationalising a dry port allocated to the country in Naivasha, according to Kiir’s office.
Kiir arrived in Nairobi on Sunday for his first known foreign trip since dissolving the transitional government.
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