Staff Reporter
OVER the years, the Namibian Government has endeavored to build infrastructure in all fourteen regions, aiming to bring services closer to the people so that no community feels left out.
It is against this backdrop that Albert Kawana, the Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security, inaugurated the structures for the Kaoko-Otavi Correctional Facility project in the Kunene Region this week.
The new structures include an administration block comprising four offices and a boardroom, six officers’ accommodations designed to house 44 officers, and an inmate dormitory with a capacity for 30 inmates.
Kawana acknowledged that the Kunene Region was previously one of the regions without correctional facilities.
“Inmates from this region are transported to other regions where such facilities exist. This makes it very difficult to fully rehabilitate inmates who find themselves far away from their families,” he said. He added that international standards require that a successful rehabilitation program should involve the family members of inmates.
In March 2022, about 384 hectares of land were allocated by the Kaoko-Otavi Traditional Authorities, in consultation with the Kunene Regional Council, to the Department of Correctional Service. This land will be used to develop a farm for food production and to provide a space where sentenced inmates from this region and surrounding areas can serve their sentences locally.
The land was subsequently gazetted earlier this year, and the construction of the facility, which will be completed in phases, began in February with the structures inaugurated this week.
Kawana announced that the clearing of a cutline for an 8.6-kilometer perimeter fence has been completed, with the entire fence expected to be finished by February next year. Additionally, approximately 30.5 hectares of land have been cleared, with plans to install an irrigation system and begin crop production during the 2025/26 financial year.
The minister emphasized that the Kaoko-Otavi Correctional Facility will not only provide a secure environment for individuals serving their sentences but will also contribute significantly to food security in the region and the country at large.
Kawana extended his gratitude to the Kunene Regional Council, Chief Gerson Razapi Kavari of the Otjongoha Traditional Authority, Chief Kaupangwa Zakekua of the Otjondete Area, Headman Tjongora Hana Humu of the Vita Royal House, and the entire community of Kunene for making land available to the Namibian Correctional Service for the construction of “this beautiful facility.”