Speaker Nunu: MPs Go Two Years Without Pay

(JUBA) – The Speaker of South Sudan’s Transitional National Legislative Assembly, Dr. Jemma Nunu Kumba, has announced that the Parliament has been forced to suspend some of its activities due to a severe shortage of funds, receiving only 40% of its allocated annual budget for the 2024–2025 fiscal year.

Addressing lawmakers during the reopening of the assembly on Wednesday following a prolonged recess, Dr. Nunu said that many legislative operations had to be shelved because of limited disbursement from the national treasury.

She noted that a copy of the assembly’s annual report provided to members shows that several planned activities were not carried out due to inadequate funding.

“In effect, as reflected in the financial annual report, the National Legislature received only about 40% of its allocated budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year,” she told lawmakers.

Dr. Nunu described the financial shortfall as part of wider fiscal constraints affecting many public institutions, with direct consequences for public service delivery, particularly in remote areas where the majority of citizens live.

She highlighted insecurity, especially intercommunal violence in Nassir County, as well as widespread economic pressures that have exacerbated hardship in the country.

“Delays in the payment of government salaries and inadequate delivery of basic public services greatly exacerbated the situation. The national legislators were themselves not spared,” she said.

According to the Speaker, members of Parliament have not received salaries or basic entitlements such as medical and transport allowances for nearly two years, making it difficult for some MPs to visit their constituencies during recess.

“In effect, some of the honourable MPs were unable to travel to their respective constituencies during the recess because their funds for that purpose were not disbursed,” she said, appealing to the Ministry of Finance to prioritise the inclusion of MPs’ medical and welfare support in future budgets.

“Healthy MPs mean a healthy Parliament and a healthy, effective Parliament,” Dr. Nunu stated.

She acknowledged President Salva Kiir’s directive to the Vice President for the Economic Cluster to address civil service and security sector salary arrears, but emphasised the urgency of full implementation.

Despite the economic constraints, the Speaker maintained that the Transitional National Legislature had managed to fulfil its core constitutional mandate.

“From the onset, I can unreservedly affirm and confirm that, despite the difficult circumstances our country has gone through, the Transitional National Legislature has largely delivered on its constitutional mandate, representing the will of the South Sudanese people,” she said.

She added that the Assembly had played a critical role in implementing the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, by passing and ratifying all related laws.