NAIROBI, Kenya — The South Sudan Embassy in Nairobi has been closed after the mission reportedly fell four months behind on rent, disrupting consular services for South Sudanese citizens living in Kenya.
The embassy, located in Nairobi’s Kilimani neighbourhood, was closed on Tuesday, August 11, according to an embassy staff member cited by Radio Tamazuj.
Vivid Voice News has not independently established the amount owed by the mission or confirmed the identity of the landlord.
According to the staff member, the embassy will remain closed until the South Sudanese government intervenes and settles the outstanding rent.
The closure has already disrupted services for South Sudanese citizens seeking assistance from the diplomatic mission.
One citizen who visited the embassy to process travel documents said he was turned away by security guards after finding the premises closed.
“I was not given a clear explanation for the closure. The security personnel only told me that the embassy had been shut the previous day,” the visitor said.
The disruption could affect South Sudanese in Kenya seeking travel documents, consular assistance and other services normally provided by the embassy.
Embassy faces recurring rent problems
The Nairobi mission has previously faced financial difficulties linked to rent arrears.
In November 2025, the embassy was reportedly closed over unpaid rent before eventually resuming operations.
Earlier in 2026, reports indicated that Senior Presidential Envoy for Special Programmes Adut Salva Kiir paid three months of rent for the mission.
The latest closure, however, suggests that the embassy’s financial difficulties may not have been fully resolved.
South Sudanese civil society leader Edmund Yakani described the latest development as damaging to the country’s image and diplomatic interests.
He urged the government to prioritise funding for its diplomatic missions and ensure they can continue providing essential services to citizens abroad.
Ambassador-designate due in Nairobi
The closure comes as South Sudan prepares for a change of leadership at its diplomatic mission in Kenya.
Newly appointed Ambassador Simon Juach Deng bid farewell to President Salva Kiir in Juba on August 6 and is expected to take up his post in Nairobi in September.
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It remains unclear whether the financial dispute will be resolved before his arrival.
The timing could add pressure to the incoming ambassador as he takes over a mission already facing operational and financial challenges.
South Sudan’s wider cash-flow crisis
The embassy’s reported rent arrears come against the backdrop of broader financial pressures facing South Sudan.
The country’s economy remains heavily dependent on oil revenues, leaving government finances vulnerable to disruptions in oil production, export earnings and global market conditions.
Cash-flow constraints have affected government operations and reportedly made it difficult for authorities to meet expenses at some overseas missions.
For South Sudanese citizens in Kenya, however, the immediate concern is practical: when the embassy will reopen and when normal consular services will resume.
Until the government addresses the reported arrears, citizens requiring urgent documentation or assistance may face uncertainty over where and how to obtain consular services.
