JUBA: A dead man was appointed to a presidential panel tasked with leading discussions on South Sudan’s elections, sparking online mockery and forcing the government to issue an apology.

President Salva Kiir made several appointments last week to address repeatedly delayed elections now scheduled for December 2026. Among those appointed was Steward Sorobo, who, according to local media reports, died five years ago.

“The Office of the President has learned with regret that one of the signatories... has regrettably died,” Kiir’s press secretary, David Amour Majur, said in a statement.

“It is now evident that thorough verification was not done by one of the stakeholders resulting in this unfortunate administrative oversight,” Majur added. Majur was dismissed the following day.

Sorobo’s name has since been removed from the list of appointments, but his family expressed their distress over the error.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2026