President Uhuru Kenyatta congratulates Namibia’s new leader at colourful swearing in fete

President Uhuru Kenyatta and First Lady Margaret Kenyatta yesterday witnessed the inauguration of Dr Hage Geingob as Namibia’s third president.

The colourful ceremony that coincided with Namibia’s 25th independence celebrations was attended by 12 heads of State from across the continent, including the founding Nambian President and liberation hero Sam Nujoma, as well as representatives of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

The celebrations at Windhoek’s Independence Stadium started at 9.30am (Namibian time) and included a full guard of honour and military parade, fly past and 21-gun salutes by the Namibian Defence Forces.

After being sworn-in, Dr Geingob was handed the instruments of office. He and President Hifikepunye Pohamba, whom he succeeded, then exchanged seats as well as aid de camps in symbolic gestures. After gaining independence after more than a 100 years of colonisation in 1990, Namibia has become a symbol of stability on the continent and has made strides in democratisation and economic development.

More than 45 per cent of MPs in the Namibian Parliament are female and a woman was sworn-in as the new prime minister to take over Dr Geingob’s former position.

President Kenyatta and the First Lady, who received thunderous cheers when they arrived for the event, later attended a State luncheon hosted by the new President.

Strengthen ties

Uhuru’s visit to Namibia is set to strengthen ties between the two nations.

“We congratulate Namibia on this remarkable achievement, first on the 25th anniversary of their independence, and secondly on the inauguration of their third democratically elected president,” Uhuru said.

“It is proof that democracy is well and alive in Africa and that Africans themselves can chart their own destiny and be architects of their own prosperity as Namibia’s experience has shown,” the President added. The President was scheduled to hold meetings with President Geingob, former President Pohamba and other senior officials of the Namibian Government, with a number of items as part of the agenda.

In the past, Kenya has had close ties with Namibia in the medical sector, with many Kenyan medical experts having had working stints in this southern African nation.

A Kenyan serves as the Dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Namibia, while the University of Nairobi trains a number of Namibian medical students. The President wants to improve trade ties between the two countries, and will be looking to expand the market for Kenyan teas in Namibia.

He was also scheduled to meet the Kenyan diaspora in Windhoek as he officially opened “Kenya House” later on yesterday. The Kenyan Government owns an embassy building in the southwest African country of two million people.