Uuvudhiya under scrutiny for July ‘Independence Day’ celebration

The Uuvudhiya constituency office’s plan to host a belated Independence Day celebration on 6 July, nearly four months after the national event was commemorated countrywide, has been slammed by some as mere electioneering by ruling party officials in the region.The event, which was initially scheduled to take place in April, was postponed to this Saturday at Ndiimana village; however, a letter seen by Namibian Sun - dated 11 June - indicated that it has again been postponed to 6 July.According to a circulated draft programme, deputy prime minister and minister of works and transport John Mutorwa is expected to deliver the keynote address.Since an invitation for the belated event has been doing the rounds on social media, critics have raised concerns on why it is being held almost four months after 21 March.Some suggested that the timing of the event is off, saying that with the 2024 Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled to take place in November, government officials and politicians are making use of such platforms to score political points.“If you look at the past years, there were not many promises made to people, but if you look at what government leaders are promising people this year, you will actually see the intent to score political points,” a source who opted to remain anonymous said.Development, not politicsWhen contacted for comment, political commentators Ndumba Kamwanyah and Fredrico Links said there&#039;s nothing wrong about such an event to be hosted so late, since it was budgeted for. They, however, suggested that proceedings should focus on government objectives, policies and development - not politics.“If the event is being used as a platform for electioneering, it would be wrong, but if it’s about bringing the community together and talking of development, there is nothing wrong about that,” they remarked.Asked about the second postponement of the event, Uuvudhiya constituency councillor Timoteus Shivute said a new date had to be picked because Mutorwa is not available this Saturday.“It is a norm to host this kind of event, but this time around, our guest - who we invited as a keynote speaker - also has some other obligations,” he explained.Afraid of the unknownMeanwhile, he assured that the event will not focus on politics.“We are pushing for development to take place within our constituencies. This event has nothing to do with politics. We are only talking about development. We have a lot of things that we would like to bring to his [Mutorwa&#039;s] attention as the minister responsible for works and transport.”When asked whether the platform will be used to canvas for votes for the ruling party, Shivute said those who have such concerns are ‘afraid of the unknown’.kenya@namibiansun.com

Uuvudhiya under scrutiny for July ‘Independence Day’ celebration

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Namibian Sun 2026-01-29

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Uuvudhiya under scrutiny for July ‘Independence Day’ celebration

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Namibian Sun 2026-01-29

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