By Philip Buda Ladu
President Salva Kiir Mayardit on Wednesday, tasked the newly appointed Minister of Health, Sarah Cleto Rial, to address critical challenges facing healthcare sector in the country.
After, Sarah Cleto taking oath, the president emphasized the pressing need for improved health service delivery.
Kiir lauded Minister Cleto’s appointment as “well-deserved” and urged her to implement significant reforms.
The president also used the occasion to call upon all South Sudanese to reject division and work in collaboration towards building a united and peaceful nation.
Interim SPLM-IO Chairman, Stephen Par Kuol, who attended the swearing-in, underscored the vital importance of the Ministry of Health, describing it as a “place of life and death” that demands effective leadership and unwavering commitment.
He commended President Kiir for selecting Sarah Cleto, noting that, her appointment comes at a crucial juncture as South Sudan intensifies its efforts to enhance healthcare provisions across the country.
Meanwhile, in her remarks shortly after taking oath of office, Minister Sarah Cleto expressed profound gratitude to President Kiir for entrusting her with such a significant responsibility.
She vowed to serve diligently to fulfill the aspirations of the South Sudanese people, pledging a commitment to transparency, accountability, and results-based performance in her service to the nation.
Officials anticipate that Minister Cleto’s appointment signals a new chapter in South Sudan’s ongoing journey to strengthen its health system and ensure that quality healthcare becomes accessible to all citizens.
On the 27th, May, 2025, Salva Kiir Mayardit appointed the former governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal State, Sarah Cleto Rial as National Minister of Health via a presidential decree.
Cleto Cleto, a senior member of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) under Dr. Riek Machar, replaced, Yolanda Awel Deng.
The Ministry of Health is one of the nine portfolios allocated to SPLM-IO under Chapter I, Section 1.5 of the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
However, Cleto’s appointment sparked controversy, particularly from SPLM-IO faction under Dr. Machar, which claims it was not consulted by president Kiir.
Gai Mayen Luk, an SPLM-IO Member of Parliament, described Cleto’s appointment as “unilateral and unconstitutional,” implying a lack of consultation with the party’s leadership.
In contrast, the SPLM-IO interim leadership and faction led by Stephen Par Kuol welcomed the appointment.
Confusion continued with several online reports claiming that the newly appointed Minister of Health had declined the position; however, both Cleto and the SPLM-IO faction in Juba refuted these statements.
Despite the controversies, Cleto arrived in Juba on Monday, 2, June, 2025 to be sworn in and assume her duties at the Ministry.
Recently, Doctors’ Union appealed to the transitional government for urgent appointment of health minister, citing current emergencies in the country.
This call followed President Kiir’s dismissal of Health Minister Yolanda Aweil Deng, leaving the position vacant for quite some time.
Dr. Abak Rafael, Doctors Union’s Information Secretary, stressed the critical need for a minister to engage with partners in response to many challenges in the health sector top among which is the ongoing diseases outbreaks including; M-pox and cholera that they had been battling across the country before the former minister’s dismissal.