“We are here to offer the people of South Sudan our support both moral and material”, Uhuru said when he addressed a joint media briefing with Kiir at State House, Juba.
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Dak was responding to the recent call by President Kiir to try to persuade the region and the worldwide community at large to ensure that Machar would not come back to Juba and take part in the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU) as its legitimate First Vice President, despite his controversial removal and replacement with his former chief negotiator, Taban Deng Gai.
Kenyatta made a one-day stop Tuesday in Juba, the first head of state to visit since deadly fighting erupted last month between soldiers loyal to President Salva Kiir and those backing former First Vice President Riek Machar, who fled the capital soon afterward.
Kiir was opposed to regional and global calls to reinstate Machar, arguing that his former deputy’s return to Juba as First Vice President would “prolong war” in the country.
The renewed fighting broke out in July, forcing Machar to flee from the capital after his base was overran by Kiir’s troops.
Stability and peace “are the key ingredients for the prosperity that we wish for the people of South Sudan”, he said.
United Nations Security Council (UNSC) also passed a resolution describing Machar’s replacement as “inconsistent” with the peace agreement.
President Uhuru said there is no option outside implementing the accord which was mediated by member states of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
The South Sudan leader later hosted a luncheon in honour of his guest before President Kenyatta departed to Nairobi.
“I believe that is why they [South Sudanese] struggled so hard to achieve their independence – not for war, but for them to be able to prosper”, he said.
“If it is approved by the transitional National Legislative assembly (the funding aim) will be around $300 million, for which we will seek support from the donor community in terms of grants or external borrowing”, Finance Minister Stephen Dau said in comments broadcast on local Radio Miraya FM. “The visit of President Uhuru, as the first Head of State to come to Juba after our crisis shows that the regional leadership is with us and they are very concerned about the situation in South Sudan” Kiir added.
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In a separate phone interview with Sudan Tribune on Tuesday, the opposition leader’s spokesperson said it will be hard for the country to achieve peace with President Kiir as the head of state.
