President Salva Kiir Mayardit has introduced a far-reaching change to how power is exercised and communicated in South Sudan, ending a long-standing practice in which presidential appointments and dismissals were announced publicly through state media and rapidly circulated on social media.
The new directive, issued as Circular No. 01/2026 through the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, fundamentally restructures the process by which presidential decisions take effect quietly, institutionally, and away from public broadcast.
Signed by the Minister of Presidential Affairs, Africano Mande, the circular takes immediate effect and establishes a confidential system for executing presidential prerogative decisions.
The government says the move is aimed at protecting the dignity of public office, enhancing professionalism within state institutions, and ensuring administrative stability.
In practice, it marks a decisive shift from public spectacle to controlled executive procedure.
Under the new order, presidential appointments and dismissals will no longer be announced on radio, television, or other broadcast platforms, including the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC).
Equally significant is the outright ban on photographing, scanning, or circulating presidential decrees, especially those bearing the President’s signature on social media or the internet.
Platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and X are now off-limits for sharing such documents. All presidential decrees are classified as privileged executive communication, and any unauthorized disclosure will be treated as a serious breach of official protocol, punishable under applicable laws.
This effectively ends a common practice in which citizens learned of leadership changes through radio announcements or viral images of signed decrees circulating online within minutes of issuance.
The directive applies broadly across all levels of government. It covers officials whose appointment or removal falls under presidential prerogative, including:
Members of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly and the Council of States
National Ministers, Deputy Ministers, and Undersecretaries
Ambassadors and Heads of Diplomatic Missions
State Governors, State Ministers, and State Assembly Members
Chairpersons and members of independent commissions
Heads of government institutions, agencies, and parastatals
By casting such a wide net, the order ensures uniform application across national and state institutions, leaving no ambiguity about who is subject to the new rules.
One of the most consequential aspects of the circular is its clarification of who has the authority to execute presidential decisions—an area that has often generated confusion and institutional friction.
State Governors are designated as the authorities responsible for appointing or relieving state-level officials, including state ministers, advisers, commissioners, and others under their jurisdiction, once they receive the official presidential instrument.
National Ministers are empowered to implement presidential decisions affecting their ministries, including changes involving Deputy Ministers, Undersecretaries, and senior civil servants.
Speakers of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly and the Council of States are the sole authorities mandated to formally effect changes involving Members of Parliament within their respective chambers.
Notably, the Office of the President will no longer serve decrees directly to individuals. Instead, decrees will be transmitted only to the relevant institutional authority—Governor, Minister, or Speaker—who must then carry out the decision through formal administrative procedures.
The directive introduces strict compliance requirements. Once a presidential decree is executed, the responsible authority must submit a Consolidated Compliance Report to the Office of the President within 48 hours, confirming both receipt of the decree and completion of the administrative transition.
Officials who are legally required to take an oath will assume office immediately after being sworn in by the President.
Those not requiring an oath will assume office upon formal service of their appointment letters through the appropriate institution.
The circular carries a clear warning: any official who refuses to vacate office, delays transition, or obstructs the implementation of a presidential decree will face immediate legal and administrative action.
To prevent leaks and ensure accountability, the Office of the President will maintain a Central Registry tracking the distribution of all presidential decrees.
This registry is intended to monitor who receives official instruments, when they are served, and how they are implemented—closing the space for unauthorized digital circulation.
By centralizing record-keeping, the presidency aims to enforce discipline within government and eliminate informal channels that have long shaped public knowledge of executive decisions.
What It Means for Officials and the Public
For government officials, the new order tightens discipline, reinforces institutional hierarchies, and removes the ambiguity that often surrounded the execution of presidential decisions.
Authority is now clearly defined, timelines are strict, and non-compliance carries consequences.
For the public, however, the implications are more complex. While the government frames the directive as a move toward professionalism and dignity of office, it also reduces immediate public visibility into changes at the highest levels of power.
Citizens may now learn of appointments and dismissals only after officials have already assumed or vacated office, rather than in real time through public broadcasts.
In effect, President Kiir’s directive signals a shift toward a quieter, more controlled exercise of executive power—one that prioritizes institutional procedure over public announcement.
Whether this enhances stability or deepens the distance between the state and the public will likely be judged in how transparently institutions operate under this new, silent system.
