Independent Patriots for Change shadow minister who has proposed renaming Henties Bay after Sam Nujoma and criticized traditional authorities over land allocation practices.
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May 2026
The Namibian
Independent Patriots for Change shadow minister Armas Amukotosaysthe municipality's use of public funds appears difficult to justify
Source
“Independent Patriots for Change shadow minister of urban and rural development Armas Amukoto says the Keetmanshoop municipality's use of public funds appears to be difficult to justify.”
Armas Amukotoblamesthe government for continued renting of the building without occupation
Source
“Independent Patriots for Change urban and rural development shadow minister Armas Amukoto blames the government for the continued renting of the building without occupation.”
Armas Amukotoproposedrenaming Henties Bay to 'Sam Nujoma Bay'
Source
“Independent Patriots for Change shadow minister of urban and rural development Armas Amukoto has proposed renaming Henties Bay to 'Sam Nujoma Bay' in honour of Namibia's founding president.”
Armas Amukotosaysthe Ministry's reduced N$1.9-billion budget will fail to address housing backlog
Source
“Independent Patriots for Change parliamentarian Armas Amukoto says the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development's reduced N$1.9-billion budget will fail miserably to address Namibia's housing backlog.”
Armas Amukotois in favour ofthe directive that private investors should develop their own land
Source
“Independent Patriots for Change shadow minister of urban and rural development Armas Amukoto is in favour of the directive, saying private investors should develop their own land.”
Armas Amukotosaysit is strange when commenting negatively about Namibian businesses but not when Game allegedly got a similar plot
Source
“Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) shadow minister of urban and rural development Armas Amukoto says: "It's strange when we are commenting negatively about Namibian businesses, but we did not say anything when the South African-owned company 'Game' allegedly got a similar plot at Oshakati at a price of one dollar per square metre."”
Armas Amukotosays traditional authorities must take full responsibility for failures in land allocation systemincluding double allocations, biased decision-making, corruption, and favouritism
Source
“"Traditional authorities must take full responsibility and accountability for the failures within the land allocation system. These failures include double allocations, biased decision-making, corruption, and favouritism," he says.”
Keetmanshoop municipality pays N$391,000 a month to rent 26 vehicles from Avis Fleet, including a Mercedes-Benz for the mayor, prompting criticism from councillors who call the expenditure wasteful given the municipality's financial constraints.
Why it matters
Keetmanshoop municipality's N$391,000 monthly vehicle rental spend exemplifies local government fiscal waste during budget constraints.
Keetmanshoop municipality pays N$391,000 a month to rent 26 vehicles from Avis Fleet, including a Mercedes-Benz for the mayor, prompting criticism from councillors who call the expenditure wasteful given the municipality's financial constraints.
The Ministry of Works and Transport plans to cancel a lease agreement with businessman Erastus Shapumba for a building the government rents for N$1.1 million per month but does not occupy. Shapumba says he did not draft the lease agreement, which was signed in December 2023 for a three-year term, and argues his rental rate of N$99 per square metre is cheaper than other private buildings.
The Namibian Police report growing complaints from people scammed by unregistered rental finders on social media, with some tenants losing between N$1,500 and N$11,000 in fake deposits for properties they never secured, particularly in Windhoek.
Swapo parliamentarian James Uerikua, 43, and his 14-year-old son died Friday when their vehicle overturned on the Otjiwarongo-Okakarara road after a rear tyre burst. Colleagues remembered him as a sharp-minded, articulate, and humorous legislator with a passion for farming.
The Electricity Control Board is establishing new regulations requiring utilities to justify tariffs against actual costs, with a framework designed to incentivise efficiency while keeping prices affordable and predictable over multi-year periods. NamPower has proposed an 8.4% bulk tariff increase, though consumer analysts warn that such increases could burden low-income households already struggling with inflation.
Political leaders including National Democratic Party chief Martin Lukato are blaming past corruption and poor planning for Impalila and Kasika islands' continued illegal use of Botswana pula 36 years after Namibia's independence, and are calling for government action to build a delayed bridge linking the islands and addressing transport challenges in the flood-prone region.
Independent Patriots for Change shadow minister Armas Amukoto has proposed renaming Henties Bay to 'Sam Nujoma Bay' in honour of Namibia's founding president, arguing that the country should replace colonial geographical names with ones that reflect its own liberation history and identity.
IPC lawmaker Armas Amukoto has urged Namibia to rename Henties Bay in honour of founding president Sam Nujoma as part of decolonising public spaces and honouring liberation heroes. The proposal comes as parliament also considers converting the Old State House into a museum dedicated to Nujoma's legacy.
An IPC parliamentarian criticized the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development's reduced N$1.9-billion budget, arguing it will fail to address Namibia's housing shortage. He noted the ministry received N$2.7 billion the previous year but built only 194 housing units in Windhoek and Opuwo combined, while an estimated 12,000 shacks are erected annually.
Minister of urban and rural development James Sankwasa has directed local authorities to stop allocating government-serviced land to private developers, arguing that public land should support affordable housing for low-income citizens rather than commercial developments targeting those who can afford houses of N$1.5–2 million. The minister said private developers should service their own land and charge market rates, while formalising informal settlements through certificates of ownership would enable residents to access bank loans.
Northern businessman Erastus 'Chicco' Shapumba is set to acquire five industrial plots at Oshakati for N$405 540, prompting opposition councillors to raise concerns about fairness and transparency. Opposition figures argue that allocating multiple plots to a single beneficiary at reduced rates (N$10 per square metre) without a competitive process lacks equitable access and public accountability.
A 15-member Parliamentary Standing Committee on Gender Equality and Social Services commenced visits to capital projects initiated by the Ministry of Health and Social Services in Otjozondjupa region. The committee is conducting oversight and evaluation of the projects, following reports from the regional governor that many health infrastructure projects in the region remain dormant, incomplete, or non-functional despite multi-year budgeting.
Independent Patriots for Change shadow minister Armas Amukoto has blamed traditional authorities for systemic failures in land allocation, including corruption, favouritism, and exclusion of vulnerable communities, citing double allocations and biased decision-making. The criticism comes after government minister James Sankwasa attributed recent deaths among headmen to failures in the Communal Land Board system.