By Alan Clement and Jacob Onuha Nelson
South Sudan’s Traffic Police have unveiled new bans on tinted windows and right‑hand drive cars, a move that comes barely 24 hours after lawmakers denounced the force for imposing rules without parliamentary approval.
The latest order seen by the media, signed by Major Gen. Kon John Akot, Director General of the Traffic Police, gives vehicle owners seven days to comply.
According to the order, drivers must remove stickers, replace darkened glass with clear panes, convert steering wheels to the left side, and ensure sliding doors open on the right.
Enforcement will begin after the grace period, the directive warned.
The announcement raises questions about government oversight and may further strain relations between the Traffic Police and Parliament, which on Tuesday accused the force of imposing rules without legislative approval.
During the 23rd sitting of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), lawmaker Giel Thou Nyuoth (SPLM-IO, Mayom County) charged that the Director was “violating the law” by shortening licence and logbook renewal periods.
“Two years ago, we agreed the logbook should be permanent. Now he says it will be renewed every five years. And even worse, licences must be renewed every three months. What kind of law is this?” Thou asked.
Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on National Security and Public Order, Samuel Bahori Loty, further accused the Director of “complete intransigence,” noting that traffic operations remain governed by the outdated 2003 New Sudan law signed by South Sudan’s founding father the late Dr. John Garang De Mabior.
“All that has taken place in traffic today is against the law,” Loty told MPs.
“We instructed the Minister to amend that law and bring us the traffic law. Up to today, nothing has taken place,” he lamented
Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba further emphasized that Parliament had already legislated permanent logbooks and five-year licences, yet the police continue to impose shorter renewals and new fees.
“Citizens should follow the law, but those implementing it must also follow what has been passed by this parliament. Not creating things every year, every time,” she said on Tuesday.
“If there is anything contrary to that, that is illegal,” added the speaker.
In a 2019 Council of Ministers resolution that affirmed a ban on tinted vehicles and authorized police to disable non-compliant vehicles by shooting at their tyres if drivers refused to pull over.
That resolution, signed by Secretary General Abdon Agaw Jok Nhial, was later reinforced by Inspector General Gen. Majak Akech Malok in a 2021 directive ordering law enforcement agents to execute the ban “without favor.”
Additionally, Ministerial Order No. 5/2020 issued by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, mandated that all vehicles and mini-buses must meet national standards.
These include visible glass, left-hand drive configuration, and right-side sliding doors. The order also prohibited the importation of non-compliant mini-buses and required certificates of conformity from the National Bureau of Standards.
Despite these documents, lawmakers argued that enforcement must still pass through Parliament.
The new directive compounds those concerns. Converting steering wheels from right to left is a costly mechanical overhaul, while replacing tinted glass and altering sliding doors could force many public transport operators off the road.
Drivers said the seven-day deadline is unrealistic. “As long as the specific period is not clearly stated, one can take seven years to change,” noted a taxi driver who requested anonymity.
“The last paragraph says the concerned person is given seven days to make the changes,” added the driver
Another driver, who identified himself only as Akol, expressed frustration at the escalating demands.
“One day they will ban cars on four wheels and ask for two wheels,” he said.
He added: “I am not a mechanic but I imagine that changing steering might cost $1,500 or more. Now imagine me with my old car now worth $1,200. What’s the need, or I sell the car and buy a steering.”
Akol went further, lamenting the broader impact of constant directives: “I wish everyone in Juba would one day abandon cars and just walk to work to avoid these issues. This is just too much.”
The confrontation has become a test of whether South Sudan’s legislature can assert its authority over enforcement agencies.
For many citizens, the dispute is about more than tinted windows or sliding doors; it is about whether the rule of law can withstand arbitrary power.