Mandera South lawmaker Abdul Haro has requested a statement from the Kenyan embassy and consular mission in South Sudan to inform the country about the current situation of Kenyans in Juba following a fire incident on December 1, 2025, which destroyed multiple shops in Juba's Custom Market, prompting an emergency response.
The Kenyan government has so far not addressed the affairs of Kenyans who host multiple businesses in the area.
"I'm requesting a statement from the Prime Cabinet Secretary and the Kenyan embassy on the consular mission in South Sudan to give the country an update on the huge fire outbreak on Monday, 1st December, 2025, where there was a huge fire destroying multiple shops, prompting a major emergency response," he said.
"When this fire broke, I'm told a lot of people, especially from East Africa and particularly Kenyan business people, lost businesses and properties."
With nearly 50,000 Kenyans powering key sectors in the neighbouring country, the lawmaker warns that the government cannot afford to overlook a community that sends home over Sh500 million annually.
"This is of concern, particularly to lost Kenyans. Almost 50,000 Kenyans are working in South Sudan; some are teachers, some are doing business, and others are working in NGOs in South Sudan. Annually, according to central bank data, remittances to Kenya by Kenyans living in South Sudan are about 4.3M USD, equivalent to half a billion Kenyan shillings."
Haro has expressed concern that South Sudanese authorities have yet to confirm the cause of the blaze or reveal whether there were casualties.
"The authorities in South Sudan are yet to confirm the cause of the fire and report on casualties, and that is why it is of interest to us; personally, I have a lot of my people from my constituency who are working in South Sudan, and some are working in the Juba market. I managed to make calls to a few of them, and they confirmed the damage is big and the fire was devastating," he added.
In a statement received from the office of the President of the Republic of South Sudan, Salva Kiir confirmed the incident, promising to instigate an investigation.
Part of the statement read, “I am assuring the people of South Sudan and the residents of Juba that the Government will investigate this matter and implement the necessary precautions to prevent future tragedies.”
The Mandera South legislator has further asked the embassy to give urgent information on the state of affairs of Kenyans in Juba.
''And I request that the consular should give us the urgent information regarding the large fire that swept properties, the cause, and the casualties, if any, and if the embassy has put the mechanisms in place to trace Kenyans who are affected and give them the support that they require in terms of emergency evacuation," he said.
"I'm informed that ambassadors from different countries are visiting the markets to check on their nationals. Has our embassy visited the markets as well?"
