Marathon Omusati toilet saga ends with 12-year jailing

After a marathon 16 years, the infamous Omusati pit latrine government tender – in which a public toilet consisting of 12 pit latrines was supposedly constructed for N$770 000 instead of N$16 000 – quietly concluded with the 12-year imprisonment of businessman Samson Shandjuuka in February.The case has been dragging on since 2008 and intensified in 2010 when quotes obtained by the media revealed that government had been quoted N$770 000 for a toilet in the Tsandi area, while the actual price hovered around N$16 000.Government had allocated N$20 million to the Omusati Regional Council for a sanitation programme, which was intended to provide toilets to residents in the region.At the time, Namibian Sun reported that nearly 75% of households in the area lacked access to toilets, prompting the National Planning Commission (NPC) to nominate the region for the programme.Other regions that benefitted from the same sanitation initiative – such as Oshana, Ohangwena, Kavango and Zambezi – spent between N$10 000 and N$12 000 on each unit.Exorbitant prices In Omusati, a 12-seat pit latrine at Ondukuta in the Tsandi constituency was allegedly priced at N$770 000 – almost equivalent to constructing half a dozen low-cost houses in the same area.Moreover, the Omusati Region reportedly spent its N$20 million budget to build only 60 latrines, translating to a cost of around N$333 000 per latrine. Shandjuuka, through his company, allegedly solicited quotations for materials needed to construct the toilets and forged the figures in order to inflate the price.The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has been on the case for years, with dockets related to the case passing through the prosecutor-general’s office numerous times. “At one point, the case almost collapsed. It was about to be thrown away, but strong evidence was later uncovered and that’s how the case was revived,” an official from ACC told Namibian Sun.Ultimately, Shandjuuka was prosecuted and found guilty. He was sentenced to 24 years in prison, with 12 years prescribed as mandatory, while the remaining 12 years can be set off by a fine of N$106 000. His company was separately fined N$102 000.The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) released a report in May 2011, linking senior government officials to companies involved in the project.Rebuilding public trustACC spokesperson Josefina Nghituwamata told Namibian Sun that this case, along with others concluded this year, has encouraged the commission to share annual reports as part of its efforts to raise public awareness through consistent information sharing."The list of finalised cases we sent out was to show the public what has been happening in terms of corruption cases in the country throughout the year. This was not done in the past. Even though many cases were concluded, people were not aware of them. We realised there was a significant gap in information sharing at the commission, and we wanted to change that," she explained.Nghituwamata admitted that the public had started to lose faith in the commission's ability to effectively tackle corruption, but she hopes this initiative could help rebuild trust. She also explained that the delay in finalising the case was not due to any fault of the ACC but rather due to the court process. "Unfortunately, we don't have control over the finalisation of cases because the ACC does not prosecute," she noted."Sharing that list of closed cases is a testament to the hard work the ACC has been doing," she added.

Marathon Omusati toilet saga ends with 12-year jailing

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-06-20

Please login to leave a comment

Marathon Omusati toilet saga ends with 12-year jailing

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-06-20

Please login to leave a comment

Login