PRESIDENT KIIR APPOINTS MALUAL GABRIEL KON JONGLEI SPEAKER
— Mary Ene
President Salva Kiir Mayardit has issued a presidential decree appointing Malual Gabriel Kon as Speaker of the Jonglei State Parliament, in a move that marks a significant elevation for one of the state's most experienced SPLM-IO officials. The appointment comes weeks after a broader reshuffle of S…
President Salva Kiir has appointed Malual Gabriel Kon as Speaker of the Jonglei State Parliament, in the latest in a series of administrative reshuffles reshaping the governance landscape of one of South Sudan's most conflict-affected and strategically important states.
The appointment of Malual Gabriel Kon elevates one of Jonglei State's most recognisable figures into the leadership of the state legislature. Kon is a seasoned SPLM-IO official who has served in the Jonglei State government since the 2021 reconstitution of state governments under the terms of the 2018 Revitalised Agreement. He was among the 60 officials appointed at that time, serving as the state's Minister of Peace Building a portfolio that placed him at the centre of efforts to manage inter-communal tensions in one of South Sudan's most volatile regions.
In that peacebuilding role, Kon established a notable public profile. He represented the state at the Jonglei-Pibor Inter-Communal Peace Conference and was regularly called upon to speak on behalf of the state government during sensitive moments, including serving as acting governor during leadership transitions. In December 2024, it was Kon who issued the official condolence message and ordered the Jonglei State flag flown at half-mast following the death of former governor Maker Thiong Maal.
His elevation to the speakership follows the April 1, 2026 reshuffle in which President Kiir relieved several SPLM-IO ministers from their positions in the Jonglei State government including Kon himself as Minister of Peace Building as part of ongoing administrative restructuring.
The changes, announced on the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation, affected portfolios including peacebuilding, gender and rural development. Kon's transition from ministerial office to the speakership represents a lateral shift in institutional responsibility rather than a departure from public life.
The Jonglei State Parliament plays a critical legislative oversight role at the state level at a time when the broader South Sudanese political environment is under enormous strain. Jonglei has been at the centre of the country's security deterioration, with fighting between the SSPDF and SPLA-IO forces in northern Jonglei displacing more than 280,000 people since late December 2025.
The appointment of an experienced SPLM-IO figure as speaker is consistent with Kiir's practice of redistributing opposition-affiliated officials within the system while systematically replacing Machar loyalists with figures aligned to the interim SPLM-IO faction led by Peacebuilding Minister Stephen Par Kuol.
The speakership appointment is part of a broader pattern of Jonglei State governance changes that have included the appointment of a new deputy governor, new county commissioners and the reconstitution of independent commissions.
As the state prepares for whatever political transition follows the December 2026 elections themselves repeatedly postponed having a settled state legislature with clear leadership is considered essential for any credible electoral process.