A delegation from South Sudan toured Kenya on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, with a key mission of seeking National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula’s help.

In a statement shared by the National Assembly Committees, the Transitional National Legislature of the Republic of South Sudan embarked on the benchmarking mission to establish how Kenya’s Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) works and Wetang’ula’s hand in its success.

The Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) is a constitutional body responsible for the overall policy development and administration of Parliament pursuant to Article 127 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010. The PSC consists of the Speaker of the National Assembly as the chairperson and seven members appointed by Parliament among its members.

Their roles include providing services and facilities to ensure the efficient and effective functioning of Parliament, constituting offices in the Parliamentary Service, and appointing and supervising office holders among others.

During the meeting chaired by Wetang’ula, the South Sudanese delegation revealed that they were at an advanced stage of establishing a similar commission in the neighbouring East African country.

Transitional National Legislature of the Republic of South Sudan chairman Stephen Ajongo Akol, who expressed their readiness to learn from Kenya’s commission.

“We are here for benchmarking, our commission is new,” stated Akol.

Akol was accompanied by Mary Wani, Regina Richard Aban, Regina Joseph Kaba, John Orach Nyakera, Dominic Bandima, Henry Amoko Moini, and James Thiam Lua.

“We saw that PSC (Kenya) has the best practice, we came to look at how to do it practically,” Wani stated as her counterpart Regina Aban stressed their quest to rise to the level Kenya had reached in achieving democracy.

The South Sudanese officials further praised Kenya’s model of parliamentary management, from staff welfare to legislative drafting services, and indicated their interest in mirroring similar structures in their governance framework.

Wetang’ula’s take

Speaker Wetang’ula, while acknowledging the Republic of South Sudan’s position as EAC’s and the world’s youngest republic, in which Kenya played a crucial role in facilitating peace efforts that birthed the republic said he was ready to lend a helping hand.

Reflecting on the July 9, 2011, independence celebrations in Juba, where he stood alongside the UN Secretary-General as Kenya’s Foreign Minister, Wetang’ula recalled Kenya’s unwavering support in brokering the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

“Your country was midwifed in Kenya. The peace you enjoy today is, in many ways, a product of Kenya’s dedication to ensuring stability in the region; we will be proud when you succeed,” he remarked

As Chairman of the Parliamentary Service Commission, the Speaker reaffirmed his commitment to supporting them in developing robust parliamentary systems encouraging them to visit the Centre for Parliamentary Studies and Training (CPST), a premier resource hub for capacity building and training of Members of Parliament (both national and county) and parliamentary staff on effective legislative practices.