UPDF Soldiers’ Daily Pay in South Sudan to Defend Juba from Falling Exposed Amid Public Wage Crisis

JUBA – Revelations have surfaced indicating that Ugandan troops deployed in South Sudan’s capital since February 2025 are receiving substantial daily payments, even as local government employees remain unpaid for over a year.

According to Dei Tut Weang Khor, a former lawmaker from Nasir County and ex-member of the Pan-African Parliament, each soldier from the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) earns $100 per day, amounting to $3,000 monthly. These forces were reportedly deployed at the request of President Salva Kiir to prevent opposition groups from seizing Juba, following renewed conflict in the Upper Nile region.

In a recent interview with local radio station, Tut alleged that the soldiers’ payments do not appear to come from South Sudan’s official government funds. Instead, he claimed, they are likely being financed by private individuals, possibly powerful elites within the country.

“Our money is in the hands of individuals,” Tut stated, hinting at the deep-rooted corruption and financial mismanagement that many believe are crippling South Sudan’s public sector. He further accused unnamed individuals of monopolizing national resources, leading to widespread delays in salaries for civil servants and organized forces some reportedly going 14 months without pay.

The Ugandan Parliament gave the green light to the UPDF deployment in March 2025, following a motion by Defence Minister Jacob Oboth. The move was in response to a request from President Kiir, seeking military support from Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni to bolster government control amid escalating violence.

Although the actual number of Ugandan troops stationed in South Sudan remains unclear, their presence has stirred controversy. Critics argue that the decision to prioritize foreign soldiers’ compensation over domestic public servants underscores the country’s ongoing governance and fiscal crises.

South Sudan, which became independent in 2011, continues to struggle with persistent economic hardship, partly due to plummeting oil revenues and political instability. The unpaid wages of local government staff have intensified public frustration and added to the country’s fragile state of affairs.