For five years, workers at the Embassy of the Republic of South Sudan in Nairobi have endured inconsistent and often delayed salary payments, with the diplomatic mission's leadership failing to address the accumulating arrears even after a public outcry in 2025 exposed the dire situation at the Senteu Plaza offices on Galana Road.
Both South Sudanese and Kenyan nationals employed at the mission have not received consistent pay for over half a decade, a situation that has pushed many of them to the brink of destitution while their families struggle to survive, yet no meaningful action has been taken to resolve the crisis despite repeated pleas and legal action.
The workers first brought their plight to public attention in 2025, when a group of nine Kenyan employees filed a lawsuit against the South Sudanese government over $320,195 (approximately Ksh 41.9 million) in wage arrears at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi, arguing that they had never been issued written contracts despite being hired by the embassy 13 years ago.
Serving in the foreign affairs, immigration, and security departments of the embassy, the nine employees claimed that consistent pay only came between 2013 and 2015, with the irregularity starting in earnest in February 2016 when they received only half their salary, followed by total non-payment in October to December 2016, August to December 2017, and most recently between April and June 2025.
They provided evidence of their employer-employee relationship, including salary payment records and several letters they wrote to the embassy seeking payment of their dues, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.
Respected regional publication, The East African, amplified the case in a detailed piece on the arrears in July 2025, but the coverage did little to spur action from the embassy or the South Sudanese government, with the only visible response being the shuffling of new ambassadors and a continued indifference to the suffering of the staff.
The embassy's leadership at the time, led by Ambassador Chol M. U. Ajongo, acknowledged the payment backlog but attributed the delays to broader economic struggles in Juba, a claim that offered little comfort to workers who had not seen a regular salary for years and whose lives had been turned upside down by financial uncertainty.
A change in leadership occurred in mid-2025, when Ambassador Anthony Louis Kon officially took over as Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary of the Republic of South Sudan to the Republic of Kenya, with Deputy Head of Mission Ambassador Barnaba Bol Nyuol serving as Chargé d'Affaires a.i. to assist in overseeing day-to-day coordination and managing embassy relations with the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Despite the change at the top, the workers say the new leadership has done little to resolve the salary crisis, and the embassy continues to operate without addressing the longstanding arrears that have left employees destitute.
The workers have noted that the embassy has been aware of the situation for years, yet no concrete steps have been taken to address the arrears.
Now, more than a year after the lawsuit was filed and the East African published its piece, the workers remain unpaid, with the situation growing increasingly desperate as their families continue to suffer.
The workers have expressed frustration that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which they describe as a toothless dog, has done little to intervene on their behalf, preferring instead to issue declarations about protecting citizens abroad while ignoring the exploitation of Kenyans working for diplomatic missions within the country's borders.
Through their lawyer, Nicodemus Ouma, the workers wrote to the State Department on April 14, 2025, seeking intervention in the pay dispute and informing the government that they wished to avoid litigation, but that they would sue South Sudan's embassy if no resolution was reached within 30 days.
That deadline passed over a year ago, and still nothing has been done.
Questions about Kenya's sovereignty have been raised by the government's inaction, with the workers noting that Nairobi has granted South Sudan the use of the dry port in Naivasha while turning a blind eye to the exploitation of Kenyan workers by the very diplomatic mission that benefits from Kenya's hospitality and infrastructure.
The workers have argued that the continued exploitation of Kenyan workers by a diplomatic mission is an affront to Kenya's sovereignty and dignity, and they have warned that if the situation is left unchecked, it will set a dangerous precedent for other foreign missions operating in Kenya.
No one should be forced to work for years without pay while their families suffer, they have urged, calling on the relevant authorities to intervene and ensure that they receive their hard-earned money.
The situation at the South Sudan Embassy is a stain on Kenya's reputation as a host country for diplomatic missions and a reminder of the vulnerability of workers who are often exploited by foreign employers who take advantage of lax enforcement of labour laws.
The workers have been left with no choice but to continue their struggle for justice, hoping that their voices will finally be heard and that the government will act to protect their rights and ensure that they receive the money they have earned through years of hard work and dedication.
"Good evening, Cyprian. Hide ID. Just a concern about how workers in the embassy of South Sudan are not yet paid their outstanding salaries arrears of 5 years. Even after being called out a year ago for not doing so. Nothing has ever been done and foreign affairs the toothless dog is busy making declarations of protecting its citizens yet the situation is becoming worse. If our own sovereignty is being played upon this way you can imagine what is behind closed agreements. They have been granted the dry port in Naivasha. If it wasn't the rent arrears last year, no one would know how bad the situation is. If you leave all your hard earned money is gone. The East African highlighted their piece on the arrears and nothing just shuffling of new ambassadors."
