Western Equatoria State map. (Courtesy).

A woman activist in Western Equatoria state says despite the significant number of women appointees in the state, the percentage is less than the quota required by the women.

The revitalized peace agreement expects the parties to appointed 35 percent of women at all levels of government.

The constitution also demands a fair and dignified representation of women in all decision-making processes.

Western Equatoria has become the first state to nominate and appoint more women into the reconstituted state government.

Last evening, President Salva Kiir appointed 13 women into various positions across the state.

This is a significant number compared to the percentage of women appointed in Central Equatoria, Jonglei, Warrap, Unity, Northern and Western Bahr el Ghazal states.

In the decree read on the state television, SSBC, Kiir appointed four women as ministers, two as County Commissioners, and seven as heads of state independent commissions.

The 2018 peace accord tasks the government to appoint not fewer than six women to ministerial positions, while the SPLM-IO and SSOA must appoint not less than three, and one woman respectively.

But only 13 women among 62 officials were appointed into the reconstituted Western Equatoria state government.

“We the women of Western Equatoria, the positions given to us are not enough,” said Roda Sebit, a women activist working with the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization in Yambio.

She now wants women to be represented in the remaining positions, such as that of the state legislative assembly.

“If you look around Western Equatoria, we have only three women in the ministries and we have two women coming as county commissioners but we wanted to be recognized in the parliament as 35%,” Roda added.

Those being appointed into the state governments are representatives of the main SPLM party of the former Interim Transitional Government of National Unity, South Sudan Opposition Alliance, SPLM-IO, Other Political Parties, and the National Agenda, a partner to the former Interim Transitional Government of National Unity.