Kampala — Companies linked to the family of President Salva Kiir operate across South Sudan’s most lucrative and corruption-prone sectors, including mining, oil, and banking, according to investigations by The Sentry, a Washington-based watchdog, and other reports,

The family holds stakes in dozens of companies, often alongside foreign investors, military leaders, and political elites. Critics say the concentration of wealth and influence has fueled state capture, war profiteering, and widespread corruption.

Mining interests
Despite rapid growth in South Sudan’s mining sector, weak regulation and limited transparency have left it vulnerable to abuse. The Sentry found that Kiir relatives held shares in at least 12 mining firms.

Anok Kiir, a daughter of the president, owned shares in GI Mining and Minerals Corporation Ltd. Her sister, Adut, was a shareholder in Rocky Mining Industries Ltd., though officials later said the company never became operational. Winnie Kiir, another daughter, co-founded Fortune Minerals and Construction with Chinese investors at age 19. The company secured exploration licenses in 2016 in Central and Eastern Equatoria. Weeks later, the military launched an offensive near Mundri, where one of the licenses was issued, forcing thousands from their homes.

The Office of the President later confirmed Winnie Kiir’s 11% stake but said the firm “never took off since obtaining the licenses.”

Oil holdings
South Sudan’s economy depends heavily on oil, but the sector has long been plagued by corruption, mismanagement, and a lack of transparency, according to the U.S. State Department.

Kiir’s sons Thiik and Mayar were listed as owners of Nile Link Petroleum, Oil Line & Hydrocarbons Ltd., and Specialist Services Co. Ltd., which advertised itself as providing “oilfield services and petroleum supply.” Marina Gregory Vasilis, the president’s niece, held shares in DeeJones-Vision Investment Co. Ltd., an oil exploration company tied to Nigerian investors.

In total, Kiir family members had interests in 15 oil-related companies.

Banking and finance
The family also entered the banking sector, where politically exposed persons reportedly control more than half of South Sudan’s institutions, often to channel illicit gains abroad.

The Sentry identified Kiir relatives as shareholders in at least nine financial institutions and foreign exchange companies. Thiik and Mayar Kiir joined Buffalo Commercial Bank as shareholders in 2007 when they were 19 and 20. They partnered with Benjamin Bol Mel, a close Kiir ally later sanctioned by the United States for corruption.

Other family stakes included Independence Bank of South Sudan Plc., Afriland First Bank South Sudan, and Ebony National Bank. Several Kiir relatives also invested in Ayen Model Forex, an exchange company still bidding for foreign currency as of February 2023.

Ties to political elites and security forces
The Kiir family has partnered with regional politicians, National Security Service (NSS) officials, and military leaders.

Adut Kiir and her husband formed Conex Energy Co., which partnered with a company controlled by the son of Kenya’s former president to launch Caltec Corporation, described as an oil services venture. Adut later transferred her shares to her daughter.

Other ventures tied Kiir’s children and in-laws to NSS officials and senior military commanders, some of whom have been sanctioned by the United States for corruption and rights abuses. For example, Car Parking Management Ltd. counted Kiir’s brother-in-law Gregory Vasili and sanctioned NSS official Abud Stephen Thiongkol as shareholders.

Military-linked companies
Investigators also found evidence that Kiir family companies benefited directly from military procurement. Interstate Airways, partly owned by First Lady Mary Ayen Mayardit, received multiple payments in 2014 from state oil company Nilepet for transporting military supplies. T-Alpha Investments, owned by Ayen and Vasili, supplied fuel to the army through a joint venture with Malaysian oil giant Petronas.

Red flags and risks
The Sentry highlighted several patterns raising concerns about money laundering and corruption:

Unclear business practices: Many family-owned firms listed dozens of unrelated objectives in their incorporation documents, obscuring their true activities.

Public procurement risks: Some companies won government contracts or letters of credit soon after being incorporated, without records showing delivery of goods or services.

Minors as shareholders: Several of Kiir’s children and grandchildren were listed as founding shareholders while still underage. Analysts say this is a common tactic by elites to evade scrutiny.

Foreign partnerships: At least 70 family-linked companies included foreign shareholders, raising questions about preferential treatment and circumvention of ownership rules.

The Office of the President has repeatedly defended the family, saying many companies were inactive or never operational. However, watchdogs argue the Kiir family’s vast business network underscores the fusion of political power and private enrichment in South Sudan.

 

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Fueling Atrocities: Oil and War in South Sudan

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https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/South_Sudan_2013.pdf?lang=en

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https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-investment-climate-statements/south-sudan/

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Kiir names brother-in-law deputy spy chief

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Ali Khalil Myree email response to The Sentry, March 3, 2020.

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Petroleum and Mining, on file with The Sentry.

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http://www.parliament.go.ke/node/3700

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https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/entertainment/city-news/article/2000114839/battles-rock-salva-kiir-family- in-nairobi

  1. Michelle Kendler-Kretsch and Anrike Visser, “Baby on Board! How Kleptocrats and Associates Use Family Members to Evade Sanctions,” Just Security, September 19, 2023, available at: https://www.justsecurity.org/88369/baby-on-board-how-kleptocrats-and-associates- use-family-members-to-evade-sanctions/
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http://www.calteccorporation.com/index.php/our-company

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https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/acc_e/ssd_e/wtaccssd6_leg_11.pdf

  1. The Republic of South Sudan Office of the President, “A Response to The Sentry Report on ‘The Taking of South Sudan: The Tycoons, Brokers, and Multinational Corporations Complicit in Hijacking the World’s Newest State,’” November 12, 2019, available at: https://paanluelwel.com/wp- content/uploads/2019/12/J-1-Releases-a-40-Page-Report-as-a-Rebuttal-to-the-Sept-2019-Sentry-Report- into-Corruption-in-South-Sudan.pdf
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