NRA boss Athian Ding Athian/ Profile Photo

President Salva Kiir has disclosed that he fired the Minister of Finance for insubordination after failure to reveal the amount of money in the state coffers.

On Friday evening, Kiir issued a republican decree relieving Athian Ding Athian replacing him with Agak Achuil in a separate decree.

Civil servants and other employees on government payroll often go for nearly 7 months without pay.

During the opening of the first session of the reconstituted transitional parliament in August, President Salva Kiir blamed the delay in paying civil servants on a faulty pay sheet machine at the labor ministry.

He promised that the civil servants would receive salaries for June and July as soon as the problem was fixed.

Weeks later, the Civil Servant went without receiving the June and July Salary.

The Labor Ministry blamed the Finance Ministry for the delay arguing they have fixed the machine and printed out the pay sheet but the Finance Ministry has no cash to pay civil servants.

A claim the finance Ministry rubbished.

President Kiir cited corruption, giving inaccurate financial reports and delay in paying civil servants and members of organized forces as some of the reasons behind the sacking of his cabinet member.

He spoke at the swearing-in ceremony of the new Finance Minister, Agak Acuil Lual and Minister of Interior Mahmoud Solomon on Saturday.

“Agak Acuil, I have two things to tell you, one, don’t follow the foot mark of your predecessor, what your predecessor has been doing is one, they don’t tell me how much money is in the state coffers,” Kiir said.

“This money is under me, if the minister cannot report to me what is in the account of the government then to whom will he report to?”

Kiir on the other hand directed the new Finance Minister to ensure that all the civil servants are paid monthly.

“Make sure that all the civil servants and the organized forces are paid monthly. If you do that it is not only you who has helped yourself, you would have helped me and the people of South Sudan, this is very important comrade Agak.”

However, this is the second time President Kiir has publicized the reason for firing one of his senior officials.

In June last year, Kiir fired Presidential Affairs Minister Mayiik Ayii Deng due to what he described as the “poor manner” in which the Juba-Rumbek highway is being built.

Kiir would later re-appoint Mayiik Ayii as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation adding that “we are all human”.

Leaders who are accused of corruption are not arrested, charged or prosecuted.

Last year, Transparency International ranked South Sudan as the third most corrupt country in the word.

It attributed the reasons to a weak democratic foundation, and the manipulation of undemocratic and populist politicians who use it to their advantage.