Renthia Kaimbi
Human rights activist Phil ya Nangoloh has called for an urgent investigation into the Uukwambi Traditional Authority over alleged administrative irregularities and governance failures.
Ya Nangoloh, founder and executive director of NamRights Incorporated, said the alleged irregularities undermine administrative justice, fairness and constitutional rights.
He said the situation may also create conditions for corruption and unlawful payments.
A government gazette no. 8746, published on 23 September 2025, recognises Lukas Nendongo, a junior village headman, as an ordinary traditional councillor and member of the Windhoek-based Council of Traditional Leaders, according to Ya Nangoloh.
Ya Nangoloh said Nendongo is not listed among the six senior traditional councillors of the Uukwambi Traditional Authority whose allowances are paid by the government.
He further argued that as a member of the Council of Traditional Leaders, Nendongo should have become chairperson of the Uukwambi Traditional Authority, but he did not.
Ya Nangoloh also questioned the status of Johannes Heinrich, who stated in a supporting affidavit before the northern local division of the High Court that he has served as senior traditional councillor for the Oshikuku District since 1998.
In the affidavit filed on 19 January this year, Heinrich described himself as an expert on Uukwambi customary law and argued that chieftainship is not based only on matrilineal succession.
However, Ya Nangoloh said there is no evidence showing Heinrich was officially gazetted as a senior traditional councillor despite reportedly receiving a monthly allowance of N$1 800.
He also raised concerns about conflicting claims over the Oshikuku District councillors.
According to Ya Nangoloh, Michael Shatipamba was gazetted as a senior traditional councillor for the Oshikuku District under government gazette no. 7948 dated 7 November 2022.
Shatipamba succeeded his maternal uncle, the late Herman “Namburu” Shopa.
Despite being officially gazetted, Ya Nangoloh said Shatipamba has not received his monthly allowance, which has accumulated to between N$21 600 and N$27 000.
He alleged that Shatipamba instead received the allowance previously allocated to the late Sakaria Kuudhingwa, the former senior traditional councillor for the Ogongo District who died on 9 February 2023.
Ya Nangoloh further claimed that Jefta Amushila, who succeeded Kuudhingwa in the Ogongo District, has not received any monthly allowance despite serving in the position.
He said Heinrich’s affidavit against Tangy Mike Tshilongo, the minister of urban and rural development and the president does not address the alleged payment irregularities and overlapping leadership claims.
Ya Nangoloh called on the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development and the Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate whether laws were violated within the traditional authority.
He said the existence of two people claiming the same district councillorship points to either negligence or deliberate wrongdoing.
Ya Nangoloh also said the lack of payment to Amushila while another person allegedly received funds linked to a deceased councillor requires urgent intervention.
Tshilongo is preparing to challenge the leadership of the Uukwambi Traditional Authority in the High Court in Oshakati. Herman Ndilimani Iipumbu is the current chief of the Uukwambi Traditional Authority.
Earlier this year, Tshilongo confirmed that he was seeking a South African senior counsel to handle the matter.
Tshilongo said the case is about law and justice rather than politics.
He said the people of Uukwambi deserve lawful and transparent leadership.
Meanwhile, urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa recently ordered chiefs to prove their lineage to the throne following consultations in Otjiwarongo.
Sankwasa questioned why some communities now have several chiefs despite those structures not existing before independence.
He warned that overlapping traditional authority claims create confusion for communities and complicate enforcement of the Traditional Authorities Act and the Communal Land Act.
Sankwasa said unrecognised chiefs and district headmen who cannot prove royal lineage should step down to lower positions.
He warned that unresolved disputes could create division and instability within communities.
