Cabinet Passes Pensions Fund bill

 By Benjamin Takpiny

The Council of Ministers in their regular meeting chaired by President Salva Kiir Mayardit on Friday passed the Pensions Fund Act 2012, Amendment Bill 2024.

 Michael Makuei Lueth, Minister of Information, Communication, Technology and Postal Services, said that the Pensions Fund Act 2012, Amendment Bill 2024, was presented before cabinet by Ruben Madol Arol, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

 “The Pensions Act is actually an amendment so that it conforms to the provisions of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), and this amendment was done by the National Constitutional Amendment Committee, which was established by the agreement and this body actually is meant to improve on some of the provisions so that they are in conformity with the agreement. So some of these provisions have to do with the management of the fund, they have to do with the number of the members of the board,” said Makuei while briefing journalists in Juba.

Makuei said that cabinet directed the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to insert these amendments before tabling the Pensions Act, Amendment Bill 2024 in the National Legislative Assembly for consideration.

He revealed that the members of the board of the Pensions Fund were initially meant to be seven but this was raised to 9 board members.

“There also came up the issue of the pensions between the national government and the states. There is some confusion between the people, the employees of the states and the administrative areas and the national government and who collects the pensions funds from all these? All these are confusions but the problem with that have been there and they have been straightened out, and this is why the bill was passed and it is going to the National Legislative Assembly for consideration,” said Makuei.