Breaking · Caretaker government

Kiir Replaces Caretaker Health Minister Two Days After He Took Office

John Gai Yoh was appointed on 28 September, took office on 30 September and was replaced by Dak Duop Bichiok on 1 October. Separate decrees changed an NSS leadership post; no reason or link was announced.

By South Sudan Press · 2 October 2026

JUBA — President Salva Kiir removed caretaker Health Minister Dr. John Gai Yoh on Thursday evening, 1 October, and appointed Dak Duop Bichiok in his place. Yoh had been appointed on 28 September and assumed the portfolio on 30 September. The presidential decree broadcast by SSBC gave no reason for the reversal, according to Radio Tamazuj.

Supplied photograph identified as Dr. John Gai Yoh — Dr. John Gai Yoh. Supplied file photograph; date and photographer unverified.

The sequence: appointed 28 September → assumed office 30 September → replaced 1 October. The dates establish a tenure of about two days in office; they do not establish why he was removed.

Earlier on 1 October, SSBC reported Yoh outlining plans to improve medical workers’ welfare. The item confirms that he had begun publicly discussing ministry priorities. Its publication time does not establish when the decision to remove him was taken.

A separate security-service reshuffle

In another decree, Kiir dismissed Gen. Napoleon Adok Gai as deputy director-general of the National Security Service’s Internal Security Bureau and appointed Apiu Goch Dut to replace him. Apiu was promoted from major general to general in a separate decree. Radio Tamazuj describes him as a former managing director of Sudd Investment, a company it reports has links to the NSS.

There is no evidence in the available decrees or reporting that the Health Ministry and NSS decisions were connected. They should be tracked separately until the presidency provides an explanation.

Who leads the ministry now?

Supplied portrait identified as Dak Duop Bichiok — Dak Duop Bichiok, appointed caretaker health minister. Supplied portrait; photographer and date unverified.

Bichiok is the appointed caretaker minister of health. Radio Tamazuj reports that he previously served in the unity government as minister of public service and human resource development. The handover date, ministry decisions taken by Yoh, and continuity of current health programmes have not been independently established.

Yoh was also serving as head of the secretariat for the Inter-Party Dialogue. No separate announcement removing him from that role was reported with the health decree. Whether he continues in the dialogue post should be confirmed with its steering committee.

South Sudan Press will update its caretaker appointments tracker when the signed decrees and any presidency explanation become available. Read the analysis of what the sudden change raises →

Reporting basis: Radio Tamazuj, 1 October 2026, reporting decrees announced on SSBC; SSBC’s 1 October report on Yoh’s stated priorities. The signed decrees and the presidency’s reasoning have not been independently obtained. Corrections: editor@southsudanpress.com.