The Embassy of the Republic of South Sudan in Kenya has been closed due to unpaid rent arrears.
According to the embassy staff, who revealed the situation to the South Sudanese-based media house, Radio Tamazuj, the embassy was closed on Friday, November 7.
Staff members revealed that the embassy’s monthly rent amounts to Ksh1.2 million, but the South Sudanese government has failed to pay for several months.
The embassy is located in Kilimani, Nairobi, and has been operational since South Sudan gained independence in 2011.
“The landlord came on Friday and locked the embassy buildings. So the embassy will remain closed until the government in Juba intervenes,” a staff member from the Embassy said.
“The embassy has been unable to pay rent for nearly a year, and the monthly rent is about $9,000,” he added.
According to reports, South Sudan’s Ambassador to Kenya, Anthony Louis Kon, is currently in Juba, awaiting direction from the government.
The closure of the embassy comes two months after the South Sudanese government announced plans to reduce staff numbers in its embassies and consulates globally.
The directive, which was given by South Sudan President Salva Kiir in September, aims at lowering operational expenses and easing the financial strain on the country’s foreign missions.
“We were directed by His Excellency the President to reduce the financial obligations of our foreign missions, and the ministry is working out how to do that and will begin implementing the downsizing plan,” Apuk Ayuel, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said.
Following the closure of the embassy, South Sudanese civil society leaders, who described the situation as embarrassing, said that the government should take action and restore operations in the embassy.
“The status of our embassy’s rental fee is alarming. Kenya is a strategic country for South Sudan, and maintaining a functional and influential diplomatic presence there is critical,” Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organisation (CEPO), said.
