Mrs. Cleto was appointed on Tuesday by President Salva Kiir through a Republican Decree to fill in the critical leadership vacuum at the Ministry of Health, which had remained vacant since the relief of Yolanda Awel Deng in February this year.
The Ministry of Health is one of the nine portfolios allocated to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) under Chapter I, Section 1.5 of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), signed on September 12, 2018.
But with the SPLM-IO fragmented along factional lines amid the detention of First Vice President and the party’s Chairman, Dr Riek Machar, Cleto’s appointment, allegedly under the faction of Stephen Par Kuol, has attracted significant criticism.
Gai Mayen Luk, an SPLM-IO Member of Parliament, described the appointment as “unilateral and unconstitutional”, implying a lack of consultation with the party’s leadership prior to the appointment.
Mr Luk argued that Cleto’s current role as a member of the Council of States also renders her constitutionally ineligible for a ministerial position.
Citing Article 62 (4) of the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan (TCRSS) 2011, as amended, Luk emphasised that membership in the Council of States cannot be combined with a position in the Council of Ministers.
“As a party which knows the law, SPLM-IO cannot recommend a sitting member of the Council of States to become a Minister,” Luk declared.
The controversy stems from the SPLM-IO’s claim that Cleto was not recommended by the party for the ministerial role, raising questions about the process behind her appointment.
The SPLM-IO, a key player in R-ARCSS, has been vocal about ensuring transparency and legality in governance. Luk’s statement suggests that the appointment bypassed the party’s internal nomination procedures.
Sudans Post also understands that the Par’s faction, under which Cleto was reportedly nominated, did not confirm the recommendation of Cleto to the health ministerial docket, which further raises questions over the process.
Efforts to get comments from Cleto to ascertain her reactions were unsuccessful.
