In September, the government allocated 16.7 million US dollars for emergency flood response and contracted 25 national companies to supply food and non-food items to floods affect populations across the country.
But none of those items promised by the government has been delivered and social media users including prominent cartoonist Adija Acuil asked as to where the money has gone and how it has been used.
In response, Mayen said $2 millions of the $16.7 million allocated by the government have already been disbursed to the ministry of presidential affairs and that he has walked away following his removal this month from the ministry.
“It is with [the ministry of] presidential affairs, two million already delivered to the ministry of presidential affairs and the rest are [still] with the finance and planning ministry,” Mayen responded to Adija Acuil’s cartoon today.
The controversial former minister who is also the chairman of the Other Political Parties (OPP) said while he hoped to deliver services to save the lives of the people of South Sudan, he walked away from the ministry without embezzling the public funds.
“I am walking away freely. I only wanted to save the lives of my people,” he said, adding that “God bless South Sudan.”
Questions have remained unanswered as to who has been given the money or if the money has actually been released by the government.
A Sudans Post reporter was expelled from the ministry of humanitarian affairs in October when he approached minister Mayen to ask for the companies that were contracted by the government to deliver the much-needed aid to the floods-affected citizens.
Mayen was dismissed as minister of humanitarian affairs this month by President Salva Kiir Mayardit who did not give reason as to why he removed him nor appointed a successor for the position which has since remained vacant.