May 4, 2022 (JUBA) – South Sudan presidential spokesman, Ateny Wek Ateny has warned against undermining President Salva Kiir, denying allegations that the latter is an “alcoholic”.

Ateny, in a statement issued Wednesday, said allegations were a “display of frustrations that should not have been allowed by responsible journalism to be aired out on a platform accessible to members of the public”.

“For public information, President Salva Kiir Mayardit is not alcoholic as suggested by Peter [Biar Ajak] and his group. Also, the president has never fired anyone or appointed anyone unknowingly or under the influence of alcohol whatsoever. He is always sober and does things to the best of his knowledge. The notion of him being under alcohol influence and that he is infirm, is malicious, farfetched and wanting to say the least,” he explained.

The presidential spokesman was reacting to statement in which renowned South Sudanese activist, Peter Biar Ajak was quoted to have criticized Kiir.

Ajak, while appearing on a Kenyan television station, claimed Kiir could not speak at the funeral of ex-Kenyan leader Mwai Kibaki since he was “drunk”.

“We just finished. And here it is folks, the reason why Kiirdit [Kiir] could not address the gathering for the funeral of President Mwai Kibaki. He had a terrible hangover. The day before, he consumed an enormous amount of alcohol. The next day, he had a terrible headache. This combined with his ailing knees incapacitated him,” Ajak said during the televised interview.

He further added, “He [Kiir] could not walk, let alone address anyone”.

Ajak, a strong critic of Kiir, said it was not the first the South Sudanese leader absented himself from delivering a speech on important platforms or where he was expected to speak on behalf of the people of South Sudan.

He cited Kiir’s encounter with former United States President Barack Obama in 2012 another incident the same year at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Ateny, however, described the allegations labeled against Kiir as “rubbish”.

Sources at the presidency told Sudan Tribune that Kiir could not speak at Kibaki’s funeral service in Nairobi due to the poor quality of his voice and inability to stand for more than two minutes to deliver a message.

South Sudan’s Cabinet Affairs minister, Martin Elia Lomoru spoke on Kiir’s behalf.