South Sudan President Salva Kiir has announced plans to shrink the country's top leadership after this year's general elections, saying the peace-sharing government that helped end conflict has grown too large and is now standing in the way of development.
Speaking during a televised interview in Juba on Wednesday, July 23, 2026, Kiir said the current government structure, which includes five vice presidents and a 650-member Parliament, was necessary during the country's fragile transition but cannot continue beyond the elections.
He said South Sudanese should expect a different style of government once voting is over, with fewer senior leaders and a smaller Parliament.
"There will be changes after the elections," Kiir said when asked what South Sudanese should expect after voting and the counting of ballots.
"Now you can see the five vice presidents. What will they do? Like in the Parliament, we have 650 members. What will they do? Because this new government prevented development. So they will have to be reduced so that there is a window of development."
Kiir said the expanded government was created to preserve peace after years of conflict, insisting the compromises made at the time achieved their purpose by bringing rival political groups into one administration.
"It worked because we needed peace," he said. "We had to make compromises so that we reach where we are today."
The president recalled expressing doubts about having several vice presidents even before South Sudan became independent, saying he questioned former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir over how such an arrangement would work.
"I told him in Khartoum, when he was still in power, that if you bring me so many vice presidents, where will I accommodate them?" Kiir said.
He said Juba lacked both housing and official vehicles needed to support such a large leadership team.
"You know Juba, there are no houses that you have built for vice presidents. Number two, vehicles for the vice presidents to run the country are not there," he said.
According to Kiir, he eventually agreed to the proposal after being assured that increased oil production would provide the resources needed to support the enlarged government.
The five vice presidents were introduced under the 2018 Revitalised Peace Agreement (R-ARCSS), which brought together Kiir's government and opposition forces led by Riek Machar following years of civil war. The agreement created a transitional unity government by expanding senior government positions to accommodate rival political groups.
Kiir now says the country has reached a point where that arrangement should give way to a leaner administration focused on delivering development projects and improving public services.
South Sudan is preparing for its first general election since gaining independence in 2011, with voting scheduled for December 22, 2026. The election date was announced by the National Elections Commission in June.
The path to the elections was cleared after Parliament approved amendments to the 2018 peace agreement, which Kiir later signed into law in July 2026. The changes removed the requirement for a national census and a permanent constitution before elections could take place.
Despite outlining plans to reduce the size of government, Kiir did not say how many vice presidents or lawmakers would remain after the reforms. He also did not explain whether the proposed changes would require constitutional amendments or fresh negotiations among political parties.
His proposal is expected to feature prominently in the campaign period as South Sudan debates whether the country should retain the broad power-sharing system that helped secure peace or move to a more streamlined government.
South Sudan continues to face economic hardship, with oil remaining its main source of income while infrastructure gaps and the effects of years of conflict continue to slow growth.
Kiir has served as president since the country gained independence from Sudan in 2011. During his time in office, South Sudan has experienced repeated political unrest, including the civil war that erupted in 2013 and displaced millions of people.
He said the government's focus after the elections will be to build an administration that can better support national development and respond more effectively to the country's needs.
Even as he pushes for reforms, Kiir's administration has recently faced criticism over mistakes in government appointments. In February 2026, he dismissed two senior aides after it emerged that a deceased person had been appointed to a national elections panel.