South Sudanese citizens in Kenya have raised alarm over the delayed completion of their embassy, which the government had promised to complete in a period of 16 months.
The groundbreaking ceremony that marked the start of construction of the new chancery in Kenya took place in November 2019 along James Gichuru Road, on land purchased by the South Sudanese government in 2008.
Five years later, the embassy is still housed in a rented apartment in the Kilimani area, prompting South Sudanese citizens to protest on social media.
According to the citizens, the embassy in Kilimani has been closed several times because of delays in paying rent, which is an embarrassment to their country.
They want answers from the embassy as to why the country still does not have an official, proper embassy residence in Kenya, despite the approval of the project and the allocation of funds for it.
“This is really embarrassing. We should have built our own embassy by now especially in nearby countries. The ambassadors there are not serious,” one complainant said.
“The government needs serious interventions to save image of the country. Government advisors need to work hard closey with decision-makers and president to feel loopholes.”
Another citizen said that President Kiir enjoys the good ties that are existing between Kenya and South Sudan, which has seen him hosting guests, visitors, dignitaries and his counterparts and heads of states in hotels instead of the ambassadorial residence.
“This will be another egregious failure of our government not to have its own building to accommodate embassies and diplomats.”
It has also emerged that South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit has been hosting delegates and having meetings in restaurants whenever he makes his visits to Kenya.
They said that it is contrary to what is happening in other countries, where the presidents arrange such meetings in their ambassadorial residences, and not hotels.
The citizens say that this is not only sabotage to them wherever they seek services in the Embassy but is also a big embarrassment to President Kiir, who is the current Chairperson of the East Africa Community (EAC).
The issue has severally been raised by the South Sudan Ministry of Foreign Affairs with little action from President Kiir.
At the moment, the construction of the embassy in James Gichuru is halfway, as the Embassy office continues to experience disruptions from many businesses that are housed in the same building in Kilimani, including massage palour, among other businesses.
As the citizens continue to suffer in accessing services, they now want the president to take action and ensure that the official Embassy building is completed.
