In a politically charged social issue, it has been claimed that Kiir secretly married the daughter of former comrade, the late William Nyuon Bany,
an ethic Nuer and former leader of the Spla.
Before independence, Kiir was popular among the military wing of the Spla/M for his loyalty to the vision of the Spla/M throughout the liberation struggle
and among those who do not trust the successive governments that have come and gone in the Sudan.