Philip Akot Akok Kiir (born January 1, 1937) is a

South Sudanese South Sudan is home to around 60 indigenous ethnic groups and 80 linguistic partitions among a population of around million. Historically, most ethnic groups were lacking in formal Western political institutions, with land held by the communit ...

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

, former educator and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

Life and career

Kiir is an educator and a politician in South Sudan. A graduate of

University of Khartoum The University of Khartoum (U of K) ( ar, جامعة الخرطوم) is a public university located in Khartoum, Sudan. It is the largest and oldest university in Sudan. UofK was founded as Gordon Memorial College in 1902 and established in 195 ...

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in History & Arts. He worked as a teacher in various provinces of Sudan, including El Fashir in

Darfur Darfur ( ; ar, دار فور, Dār Fūr, lit=Realm of the Fur) is a region of western Sudan. ''Dār'' is an Arabic word meaning "home f – the region was named Dardaju ( ar, دار داجو, Dār Dājū, links=no) while ruled by the Daju, ...

. From 1973 to 1977 he was a member of Sudan's National Parliament. And from 1978 to 1979 he was the

Controller Controller may refer to: Occupations * Controller or financial controller, or in government accounting comptroller, a senior accounting position * Controller, someone who performs agent handling in espionage * Air traffic controller, a person ...

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

in the autonomous government of

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...

. He was a member of the

SANU Sanu may refer to: *Sanu, Iran, village in the Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran *Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU), an academic institution in Serbia *Sudan African National Union, a political party in Sudan *South American native ungulate ...

(

Sudan African National Union The Sudan African National Union (Juba Arabic: اتحاد الوطنى الافريقى السودان ''Ettihad Al-Wataniy Al-Afriqiy Al-Sudan''; SANU) is a political party formed in 1963 by Saturnino Ohure and William Deng Nhial in Uganda. In th ...

). Philip Akot Akok Kiir quit politics in 1982 and became the Director General ( Deputy Minister) for the Ministry of Education & Social Services in Wau,

Bahr El Ghazal Bahr el-Ghazal (Arabic بحر الغزال , also transliterated ''Bahr al-Ghazal'', ''Baḩr al-Ghazāl'', ''Bahr el-Gazel'', or versions of these without the hyphen) may refer to two distinct places, both named after ephemeral or dry rivers. Chad ...

province (which later became four States;

Warrap State Warrap (also spelled Warab), is a state in South Sudan located in the Bahr el Ghazal region. It has an area of 31,027 km². Overview Warrap State comprises an area of 31,027 km². Kuajok is the capital of Warrap state. All states in South Sudan ...

Western Bahr el Ghazal Western Bahr el Ghazal is a state in South Sudan. It has an area of and is the least populous state in South Sudan, according to the controversial Sudanese census conducted in 2008. It is part of the Bahr el Ghazal region. Its capital is Wau. ...

Northern Bahr el Ghazal Northern Bahr el Ghazal is a state in South Sudan. It has an area of 30,543 km² and is part of the Bahr el Ghazal region. It borders East Darfur in Sudan to the north, Western Bahr el Ghazal to the west and south, and Warrap and the dis ...

, and

Lakes A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

). He undertook the greatest establishment of schools in South Sudan, particularly in

Bahr el Ghazal Bahr el-Ghazal (Arabic بحر الغزال , also transliterated ''Bahr al-Ghazal'', ''Baḩr al-Ghazāl'', ''Bahr el-Gazel'', or versions of these without the hyphen) may refer to two distinct places, both named after ephemeral or dry rivers. Chad ...

. In the early 1990s when Omar al-Bashir came to power, he was arrested and went missing for six months. He was believed to have been tortured by the

Bashir Bashir or Basheer or the francicized Bachir or Bechir ( ar, بشير) is a male given name. Derived from Arabic, it means "the one who brings good news". It is also a surname. Bashir may refer to: Mononym * Bashir I, Lebanese emir of the Shih ...

regime. Kiir migrated to the United States at the end of 1999. Five years later, he enrolled in

Houston Baptist University Houston Christian University (HCU), formerly Houston Baptist University, is a private Baptist university in Houston, Texas. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas (Southern Baptist Convention). Its Cultural Arts Center hou ...

and is now a pastor. He continues to preach in

Kuajok Kuajok, also spelled as Kuacjok or Kwajok, is a city in South Sudan, and the capital of Warrap State. Location Kuajok is located in Warrap State, in Bahr el Ghazal Region, in northwestern South Sudan, near the international border with the R ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kiir, Philip Akot Akok Dinka people University of Khartoum alumni Living people Sudan African National Union politicians 1937 births South Sudanese Protestant clergy Members of the National Assembly (Sudan) South Sudanese emigrants to the United States Houston Christian University alumni