Only appointments of Independent Commissions and County Commissioners and in Lakes State adhered to the 35 per cent gender parity principle. A March 2021 peace deal assessment by the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) has revealed.

The recent report indicates that even with the mounted campaigns to have the state appointments conform to this principle, there are still glaring gaps judging from recent dishing of state jobs.

The assessment report, which captures January to March 2021, revealed that women constituted only 16.2 per cent of officials appointed in ten states. This happened in the period that President Salva Kiir issued a Republican Order to the state governors to appoint state officers without assuming the roles of firing and hiring.

In Central Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile, Warrap and Western Bahr el Ghazal States, the women comprised 20 per cent of the appointees.

Average numbers

Lakes State registered an impressive performance that exceeded the mark by making 40 per cent female appointees. But states of Jonglei, Unity and Western Equatoria had no appointments for women, making them the worst performers.

The report partly states, ‘‘In Ministerial positions, women constitute 29.4  per cent in Central Equatoria State, 23.5 per cent in Eastern Equatoria, Unity and Western Equatoria States, 11.8  per cent in Jonglei, Upper Nile and Warrap States and 17.6  per cent in Lakes, Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Western Bahr el Ghazal States.’’

Eastern Equatoria, Lakes and Northern Bahr El Ghazal states performed better but did not meet the threshold in the appointments of the chairpersons of Independent Commissions which stood at 33.3 per cent.

These appointments were at 16.7 per cent at Western Bahr El Ghazal and Western Equatoria states but zero in Central Equatoria, Jonglei, Unity, Upper Nile and Warrap states.

‘‘In the current appointment of State Advisers, State Ministers, Members of State Independent Commissions and County Commissioners, women representation in decision making positions is below  35 per cent, except for the Adviser positions in Lakes State and Deputy Chairperson of Independent Commission in Central Equatoria State.

‘‘The Parties to the R-ARCSS failed to adhere to the 35 per cent quota for women participation in accordance with Article 1.4.4 of the Agreement and thus contravened that provision,’’ RJMEC notes in the conclusion.