Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Adut Salva Kiir, the eldest daughter of President Salva Kiir and First Lady Mary Ayen Mayardit, will now hold a high-profile public role following her appointment as the Presidential Envoy on Special Programmes.
Her appointment was announced in a presidential decree read on the state-run broadcaster, SSBC, on Wednesday evening.
The new role places Adut at the helm of one of the most influential offices in the country — a position previously held by Vice President Dr.
Benjamin Bol Mel. Dr. Bol Mel served in the role from 2022 until his elevation to First Vice President earlier this year.
With this move, Adut became one of the family members of the president currently holding public positions.
Among them is Thiik Salva Kiir, a Deputy Executive Director in the Office of the President, and Mayar Salva Kiir, recently promoted among 40 Grade 1 Ambassadors in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Before stepping into the government spotlight, Adut was already active in public service through her foundation, the Adut Salva Kiir (ASK) Foundation, which she founded in 2022.
The organization focuses on supporting communities in need, with efforts ranging from food donations to schools and hospitals to the drilling of more than 20 boreholes across four states.
According to the foundation’s website, these efforts have helped revive previously abandoned areas, turning them into vibrant communities once again.
Her humanitarian work brought her into contact with many communities, especially in rural areas.
In November last year, during a visit to Paneker Secondary School in Yirol West County, Lakes State, Adut shared memories of her early education journey, one that began with lessons from her father.
“The first thing he taught me was how to read the clock”
She recalled how President Kiir, during breaks from the liberation struggle, would visit the family in Kenya and spend time teaching her by drawing letters in the sand.
“I was the only child for a good time, so he had time to teach me”, she said.
Those early lessons sparked a love for learning, which helped her excel in class, even reaching fourth position at one point.
Adut also lived and studied in different parts of East Africa during the conflict, including Itang, Panyido, Gambella, and Addis Ababa.
By age ten, she said she could speak several local and regional languages, including Anyuak, Nuer, Shulluk, Dinka, and Amharic, although English and Kiswahili were initially a struggle when she first arrived in the country.
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