Contractor to rebuild Oshikoto police headquarters

The contractor responsible for the new Oshikoto Region police headquarters at Omuthiya, which were damaged in a storm, is on site and has started with the repairs. China Jiangxi International Namibia is the contractor for the project which started in 2014 and was envisioned to be completed by September 2016. The project was finally completed last year and the buildings were expected to be inaugurated this year. But last month the contractor was recalled to the site after a storm damaged the three-storey administration building. Luckily other parts of the facility such as the charge office building, the holding cells, the accommodation facilities and the logistics block were not affected.According to workers at the site, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the ceilings and walls of some offices must be repaired and the entire roof has to be removed. Some walls will be demolished because of extensive damage. “The whole roof will need to be removed and the upper wall will need to be demolished because of the gaps you see up there,” one worker said, pointing at the top of the building. Asked why the new building was unable to withstand a single thunderstorm, the workers said they were shocked, as the building had been completed as per the construction plan. When contacted for comment, the inspector-general of the Namibian police, Sebastian Ndeitunga, said when he was informed of the incident he requested the project engineers to assess the situation and report back to him. “Immediately after it happened, I called in the engineers of that building to give me a report and to find out how come it was the only building that was damaged at Omuthiya and it was a new one,” Ndeitunga said. The police chief said he was informed that the contractor had not complied with the engineering requirements and that the company would repair it at their own cost.Ndeitunga said he wanted the entire building to be examined to avoid similar incidents in the future. The cost of the project has not been made public. The site manager, who identified himself only as Zheng, said he could not remember the cost of the project. Another building contractor estimated that the entire facility must have cost between N$60 and N$70 million. Ndeitunga said the cost of the project would be revealed when the facility was inaugurated. The Namibian police has not made any appointments since the start of last year due to severe budget cuts and financial constraints.KENYA KAMBOWE

Contractor to rebuild Oshikoto police headquarters

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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Contractor to rebuild Oshikoto police headquarters

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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