South Sudan Embassy in Kenya Closed Over Unpaid Rent

South Sudan’s embassy in Nairobi has been closed after the government allegedly fell behind on rent payments, disrupting consular services for citizens in Kenya.

The embassy, located in Nairobi’s Kilimani area, was closed on Tuesday, August 11, following an alleged four-month rent arrears, according to an embassy staff member.

The amount owed by the South Sudanese government could not immediately be independently verified.

The closure has affected South Sudanese citizens who rely on the embassy for consular services. One citizen who went to the mission seeking travel documents said he was turned away by security guards after finding the embassy closed.

South Sudanese civil society leader Edmund Yakani criticised the situation, saying the closure could damage the country’s image and calling on the government to give greater priority to funding its diplomatic missions.

The latest incident is not the first time the South Sudanese embassy in Nairobi has faced closure over unpaid rent. The mission was also threatened with closure in November 2025 over rent arrears.

The new closure comes just days after Simon Juach Deng, who was recently appointed as South Sudan’s ambassador to Kenya, bid farewell to President Salva Kiir in Juba.

Deng is expected to take up his new position in Nairobi in September, meaning the diplomatic mission is facing the disruption shortly before the arrival of its newly appointed ambassador.

The situation comes as South Sudan struggles with a severe fiscal and cash-flow crisis. The country remains heavily dependent on oil revenues, leaving government finances vulnerable to fluctuations in oil production and disruptions affecting the sector.

The financial difficulties have affected the government’s ability to meet various obligations, including funding its diplomatic missions abroad.

The closure of the Nairobi embassy could leave South Sudanese citizens in Kenya without normal access to services such as travel documents and other consular assistance until the dispute over the unpaid rent is resolved.