2026 TNLA sitting reopens under Kumba’s chair
The Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), Jemma Nunu Kumba, resumed work after leave and reopened the ordinary third sitting of 2026. Her remarks framed the new year as a moment to reinforce peace-minded politics inside the August House.
New MPs welcomed from SPLM and SPLM-IO
Kumba welcomed newly appointed parliamentarians from both the SPLM and the SPLM-IO. She used the occasion to place reconciliation at the centre of parliamentary culture, urging members to approach debates with what she described as “peace, love, forgiveness, and reconciliation.”
Speaker praises deputies for managing the August House
Speaking during Wednesday’s ordinary sitting, Kumba commended her deputies for steering parliamentary business while she was away. “I thank my deputies for managing the parliament in my absence,” she said, linking continuity in leadership to institutional stability.
Call for love, forgiveness and reconciliation in 2026
“You are all welcome to this ordinary third sitting of 2026… This is my first time chairing a sitting in the new year,” Kumba said. She also wished MPs “a happy, prosperous new year full of good spirit and good health.”
“I am back with a full spirit of hope, spirit of forgiveness, and reconciliation, and I also expect you to have the same spirit of love among yourselves,” she added. Her appeal positioned interpersonal trust as a practical tool of governance.
Forgiveness framed as a workable path for leadership
Kumba argued that forgiveness is not simply symbolic, but a necessary route for the country’s leadership and the legislature. “I believe there is nothing impossible that we cannot overcome when we come together in the spirit of unity,” she stated.
Peace agreement implementation and institutional coordination
The Speaker expressed hope for stronger cooperation across different arms of government and state institutions, particularly on unresolved items linked to the peace agreement. She concluded by stressing parliament’s responsibility in implementation and in improving the lives of South Sudanese citizens.