Former South Sudan Finance Minister Kosti Manibe Ngai has died in Nairobi after a prolonged illness related to heart disease, his family confirmed on Tuesday.
Manibe died at M.P. Shah Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment after undergoing an operation.
“He underwent an operation and was admitted to the hospital on July 28 and passed away today. He had been in hospital for nearly three weeks,” Rev. Nediye Gone, His wife quoted by media.
According to Gone, late Manibe was admitted on July 28 and passed away after nearly three weeks in hospital.
Manibe, who hailed from the Moru community in Western Equatoria State, was a veteran politician whose public career spanned the Sudan civil war, the autonomous Government of Southern Sudan and the early years of South Sudan’s independence.
He began his public career in church administration before joining the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), which fought successive governments in Khartoum for greater autonomy and, ultimately, independence for southern Sudan.
By 2002, Manibe was serving as the SPLM/A commissioner for education before moving into the administration of the semi-autonomous Government of Southern Sudan.
In June 2010, President Salva Kiir appointed Manibe as Minister of Cabinet Affairs, a position he retained through South Sudan’s transition to independence in July 2011.
Following independence, Manibe was appointed Minister of Finance and Economic Planning in August 2011, succeeding David Deng Athorbei.
He served in the position until July 2013.
Manibe was widely regarded by colleagues and associates as a minister who placed strong emphasis on financial discipline, accountability and the protection of public resources.
During his tenure, he was known for scrutinising government spending and resisting financial approvals that did not meet established requirements.
His tenure as finance minister, however, also came during a period of intense political and financial pressure.
June 2013, President Kiir suspended Manibe and then-Cabinet Affairs Minister Deng Alor Kuol and lifted their immunity over allegations concerning the transfer of nearly $8 million to a private company.
Both officials were removed from their positions amid growing political tensions within the ruling SPLM.
Manibe was among senior politicians detained after fighting erupted in Juba in December 2013. The government accused then-Vice President Riek Machar and others of attempting to overthrow the government, an allegation Machar denied.
After his release, Manibe became part of the group of senior SPLM figures known as the former detainees, or G10, who were detained following the 2013 conflict.
The group included prominent politicians such as Pagan Amum, Deng Alor and Manibe.
It later participated in political negotiations that contributed to the 2018 peace agreement between the government and opposition groups.
His death marks the loss of a veteran politician who served during some of the most significant periods in South Sudan’s political transition, from the liberation struggle and autonomous administration to the country’s first years of independence.
