Geingob retirement home exceeds N$36m budget

A state-funded coastal residence originally built for former president Hage Geingob's retirement exceeded its N$36 million budget by more than N$500 000, with the Presidency attributing the overrun to additional works including CCTV systems, home automation technology and delays.

Documents seen by Namibian Sun show the final project cost reached N$36 711 233, representing an increase of N$519 593 above the original contract value.

Executive director in the Namibian Presidency, Mateus Kaholongo, said the original contract price of the project stood at N$36 191 639 before its upward adjustment. He said the increase amounted to 1.44% above the original cost estimate.

“The increase arose from additional works not covered by project contingencies, together with time-related preliminaries and general requirements associated with the extension of the intended completion date,” he explained.

“Installation of a booster pump, additional electrical installations, installation of CCTV and electronic systems, HVAC installation, and home automation installation."

The project achieved practical completion on 8 October 2025 and was formally handed over to former first lady Monica Geingos on 17 October 2025.

Kaholongo confirmed that Geingos currently lives at the property.

Approvals before passing

In July last year, Namibian Sun reported that the Former Presidents’ Pension and Other Benefits Act of 2012 allows for Geingob’s heirs to inherit the residence since he died before occupying it.

The property, located in Swakopmund’s affluent Vineta suburb, sits on a 1 677-square-metre plot. It features five bedrooms, a three-bedroom guest wing, a study, a swimming pool, two guardrooms, and a four-vehicle garage, in line with statutory provisions.

The home also includes staff accommodation for three domestic workers, two gardeners, two cooks, two waiters and two laundry staff.

Questions about the future of the residence emerged following Geingob's death in February 2024 while construction was still underway.

Addressing the issue, Kaholongo said the necessary approvals for the residence had already been obtained before the late president's passing.

“Following his passing, while the project was still in progress, it was duly possible for the spouse to assume ownership and utilise the property,” he said.

The Presidency further confirmed that the residence remains under a defects liability period until October this year.

“Once this period concludes, the office will assume responsibility for ongoing maintenance," Kaholongo said, adding that security personnel, supported by cleaners and labourers, have been assigned to the property in the meantime.

Accrued benefits

According to the Act, retired presidents must be provided with “a furnished official residence at any place in Windhoek or at the request of the former president such housing allowance as may be determined by the Cabinet in lieu thereof, including an allowance for telephone expenses and water and electricity charges in respect of a residence other than an official residence”.

Other entitlements include a pension, benefits for the spouse and dependents, insolvency protection and income tax exemption. The law further states that a former president shall be paid a monthly pension equal to or greater than the monthly basic salary that he received immediately before leaving office, or 80% of his successor’s salary. It remains unclear, however, whether salary-linked benefits are still applicable in cases where the intended beneficiary passes away before taking up residence.

Geingob died just 11 months before the end of his second and final term, which was slated to conclude on 21 March 2025.

He served as Namibia’s first prime minister from 1990 to 2002 and again from 2012 to 2015. As chair of the Constituent Assembly, Geingob played a pivotal role in drafting Namibia’s constitution.