Cash-strapped South Sudan pays MPs $1,000 each

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East Africa
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South Sudan’s cash-strapped government has quietly paid each member of its 600-plus parliament $1,000 in what lawmakers describe as “transport and facilitation” funds—a move that has drawn scrutiny as civil servants and soldiers endure months of unpaid salaries amid a worsening currency crisis.

The payments, confirmed by multiple legislators this week, follow months of demands for overdue salaries and medical allowances.

The Finance Ministry released the funds after repeated appeals from lawmakers, though it remains unclear whether the disbursement was budgeted. South Sudan has yet to pass its 2025-2026 budget.

The country’s parliament, expanded under a 2018 peace deal, includes 550 members in the Transitional National Legislative Assembly and 100 in the Council of States. Many lawmakers have struggled with unpaid wages and medical costs, with some reportedly unable to afford treatment.

Some opposition lawmakers have fled Juba since the detention of their leader, First Vice President Riek Machar, on March 26.

Juol Nhomngek, a legislator representing Cueibet County in Lakes State, told Radio Tamazuj on Thursday that the money was meant to assist ailing lawmakers but clarified it was not a medical allowance.

“I asked the office of the speaker and the clerk, and they said this money is not for medication. It’s to facilitate the MPs, especially those who are sick,” Nhomngek said. “The issue is that most MPs haven’t been coming to parliament because of transport. They don’t have means. The $1,000 is to facilitate them.”

Hellen Ngaidok Lokurung, an MP representing Greater Pibor, confirmed receiving the payment but expressed frustration, noting that lawmakers were entitled to far larger medical allowances under parliamentary rules.

“We were expecting more than that, but we only received $1,000. It was a uniform amount,” she said.

Mary Ayen Mijok, first deputy speaker of the Council of States, acknowledged the payment but declined further comment, stating only: “Whatever little that we receive, considering the general situation in the country, I think it’s something to be appreciated.”

Comments from Advocates

Edmund Yakani, a prominent civil society activist, urged MPs to prioritize systemic reforms over ad hoc payouts.

“South Sudan is not a broke country,” he said. “MPs should stand up for good public hospitals instead of relying on medical allowances. What’s the guarantee they’ll get the rest of their payments?”

Meanwhile, rights advocate Ter Manyang Gatwech defended the disbursement, calling it a constitutional right but questioned delays in regular salaries in the country.

“When compared with their counterparts in East Africa, South Sudanese MPs are significantly underpaid,” he said, citing Kenyan legislators’ much higher salaries. “Why are there continuous delays when funds were budgeted?”

The National Minister of Finance has recently acknowledged a severe currency shortage, leaving many civil servants and security personnel unpaid for months.

More than half of South Sudan’s population faces acute food insecurity, according to U.N. figures. Radio Tamazuj