Parliament honours late Namibian President
Parliament has observed a moment of silence in honour of the former President of Namibia following his death on Sunday, 04 February 2024.
President Hage Geingob died of cancer in a hospital in the capital, Windhoek.
The House chaired by Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa hailed the former President as a great Pan-Africanist.
“As a continent, we have lost one of the greatest Pan-Africanists. Namibia supported the liberation struggle in Uganda,” Tayebwa said.
Tayebwa added that, “Geingob had close friends here with the closest being the former Prime Minister, Ruhakana Rugunda. Hage was Ruganda’s supervisor when he worked in Namibia”.
He said that President Yoweri Museveni and Speaker Anita Among had sent their condolences.
President Hage died at the age of 82 and was the first Prime Minister of Namibia after independence from South Africa.
He went on to become the third President in 2014 and won re-election in 2019.
He is credited for significantly advocating for Namibia’s independence, representing the local liberation movement, SWAPO, now the ruling party.
The Opposition Chief Whip, Hon. John Baptist Nambeshe, honoured Hage commending his leadership for upholding the constitution that has led to a smooth transfer of power.
“I want to salute the government of Namibia for the smooth transfer of power, from the late president to his vice president. It has been a smooth transfer, how I wish it would happen in other countries,” Nambeshe said.
Nambeshe said that the fact that the Namibian President was treated in Namibia, should inspire Parliament to consider increasing the health sector budget to improve health services.
“In Windhoek, the capital of Namibia is where the late President and other presidents have been hospitalised and sought superb medical care. It would be proper to think twice about increasing the budget for the health sector and focusing on improving healthcare services in referral hospitals like Mulago,” he said.
Tororo District Woman MP, Hon. Sarah Opendi, hailed President Hage for supporting the cause of women in his leadership.
“I stand to condole with the people of Nambia upon the death of their president who championed the women’s cause during his leadership. In an audit, Namibia was ranked 12th among the countries with the highest representation of women in Parliament,” Opendi said.
Opendi stressed the need for a Constitutional Review Commission, proposing the example of Namibia, saying that if a leader dies close to elections, the vice or deputy should take over to avoid the expenditure arising from by-elections.
The Deputy Attorney General, Hon. Jackson Kafuuzi, said there were ongoing discussions about the Constitutional Review Commission and pledged to update the House at a later date.