The first batch of 45 Kenyan civil service support officers arrived in Juba to provide mentoring and coaching to their South Sudanese counterparts.
The civil servants are part of the GoSS and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Initiative for Capacity Enhancement funded by the UNDP.The officers include 20 medical and nursing officers.
They will be working with their counterparts in the Ministry of Health.
Mohammed Moro, a nursing officer, and medical doctor Eva Ngoro told SCR News that they will work hand in hand with their South Sudanese counterparts to leave the region a better place.
The ministry of health was given priority because the soon to be new nation maintains some of the world’s worst health indicators.
Undersecretary in GoSS ministry of health Olivia Lomoru said the assistance of the Kenyan medical personnel will help to defeat the poor health indicators in the region.
GoSS minister of labour and public service Awut Deng Acuil said that the personnel will remain on the payroll of their home government, and as such their deployment to South Sudan will represent a very significant financial support.
Some of the key areas being targeted by this project include public finance management and accounting, public administration, human resources management, oversight institutions, local government and decentralization, trade and industry, and rule of law.
The process of recruitment is done in partnership with GoSS through the Ministry of Labour and Public Service and the equivalent institutions in the IGAD countries of Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.