Editor's Review

The embassy is reported to have been paying KSh 1.16 million as monthly rent but started defaulting over a year ago.

The South Sudanese Embassy in Kenya is currently inoperational following its closure over rent arrears. 

Juba-based Radio Tamazuj confirmed that the South Sudanese mission in Kenya left after the embassy's closure on Friday, November 7.

The embassy was housed in Senteu Plaza in Nairobi's Kilimani area.

According to the South Sudanese radio station, the embassy was charged $9,000 (equivalent to KSh 1.16 million) as monthly rent.

Sources further indicated that the embassy has been sitting on its arrears for over one year.

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The landlord is said to have locked the embassy's premises, forcing the mission, led by Ambassador Anthony Louis Kon, to fly to Juba. 

"The landlord came on Friday and locked the embassy buildings. So the embassy will remain closed until the government in Juba intervenes. The embassy has been unable to pay rent for nearly a year, and the monthly rent is about $9,000,” Radio Tamazuj quoted the embassy's staffers as having said.

Ambassador Anthony Kon who was the head of South Sudan's diplomatic mission in Nairobi.

The concerned parties back in Juba have pleaded with President Salva Kiir to intervene and address the matter.

Ever since South Sudan's independence 14 years ago, Kenya has been its key partner.

It has had one president since its independence in 2011. The embassy closure is a culmination of the government's efforts to reduce staff in its diplomatic missions, not only in Kenya but across the world.

The government in Juba said such measures are aimed at cutting costs as the country grapples with a limping economy.

With the closure, South Sudanese citizens will have challenges accessing such consular services as renewals of passports, visa applications, and other critical assistance.

The government has yet to issue a statement on the matter and on the way forward.

It is, however, not lost that an independent country has the liberty to remove its embassy from another nation for a host of reasons, including financial challenges affecting the normal operations of the embassy, diplomatic tensions, or security concerns.