South Sudan’s ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and Kenya’s ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) on Monday signed a five-year memorandum of understanding to deepen political cooperation, promote regional integration, and strengthen institutional capacity between the two parties.

The agreement provides for cooperation in key areas, including cadre training, policy research, youth and women’s empowerment, exchange programs, and joint initiatives to advance East African Community (EAC) integration.

SPLM Secretary-General Akol Paul Kordit said the agreement would strengthen the historic relationship between South Sudan and Kenya by formalising cooperation between their respective ruling parties.

He said the partnership would enable both parties to exchange best practices in governance and policy development while promoting regional cooperation through the EAC and African Union frameworks. 

UDA Secretary-General Hassan Omar Hassan said the agreement reflects the deep historical ties between Kenya and South Sudan. He said the partnership would facilitate cooperation in governance, economic transformation, and election preparedness while strengthening regional stability.

The agreement between UDA and SPLM) is a five-year memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation in leadership development, policy exchange, party building, regional integration and peace efforts.

The parties said the MoU is flexible and open to new progressive ideas that allow both parties to review and amend it as circumstances evolve.

SPLM, in power since 2013, said it hopes to tap into UDA’s electoral experience through a newly signed cooperation agreement as South Sudan prepares for long-delayed elections. UDA has been in power for four years.

The five-year memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed in Juba by the secretary generals of the two parties will deepen cooperation in cadre training, policy development, youth and women empowerment, research and exchange programmes, with both sides saying the partnership would also support democratic governance and regional integration.

The so-called cadre training has echoes of the precepts of the ruling parties in Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia and Rwanda. Organisation of political parties around cadres has roots in communist Russia and China with an eye on longevity in power.

In south Sudan, President Salva Kiir has been in power for or than 15 years since the death of the founding president John Garang on July 30, 2005, while in Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni retained power in an election described by international observers as sham in January this year. Tanzania’s ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi has been in power since independence in 1961.

Speaking after the signing, SPLM Secretary-General Kordit said the agreement would enable the ruling party to benefit from Kenya’s experience in electoral management and political party development as South Sudan works towards holding its first post-independence elections.

The agreement is guided by the principles of the African Union and regional bodies that include the East African Community (EAC) and emphasises mutual benefit and growth through learning from each other.

“Kenya has been helping South Sudan for many years, from the liberation struggle to the peace process after the 2013 crisis,” Kordit said. “We are going for elections now, and I believe there is a lot we as SPLM can learn from Kenya’s experience. They have gone through election-related challenges before, and we can learn what they did.”

He said the cooperation would not transform either party into the other but would allow both to share experiences and grow through mutual learning.

“The MoU has issues of cadre training and development, empowerment of youth and women in both organisations, experience sharing, exchange programmes and joint policy development, especially in research and developing evidence-based policies that will help the two parties function in their respective countries,” he explained.

Kordit said the agreement would also contribute to regional integration under the East African Community (EAC) and the African Union, noting that both parties would work together to promote political and social cooperation across the region.

He described the agreement as a flexible instrument that can be reviewed and amended whenever necessary to respond to changing political realities.

“The world is changing very fast, and political parties must also adjust. We included provisions allowing either party to review and amend the agreement because we do not want to become outdated,” he said.

UDA’s Hassan Omar said the partnership would move beyond symbolic relations and create structured cooperation between the two ruling parties, particularly as both countries prepare for elections.

“We want our relationship to be extremely deliberate between ourselves and yourselves so that in the future we can have programmes that are deliberate and joint,” Hassan said.

“More urgently, we want to see how we can be of mutual support in terms of your election preparedness. As you prepare for your elections, we are also preparing for ours next year. There are different areas of mutual interest, so that we offer ourselves stability and continuity for our respective people and governments.”

• A Tell Media / Xinhua report