Lahja Nashuuta

Former Namibia Football Association secretary general (SG) Barry Rukoro is hellbent on contesting for the National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo) presidency at their elective congress in April this year, despite the party SG and presidential aspirant Joseph Kauandenge claiming Rukoro is not a member of the organisation.

In an interview with New Era yesterday, Rukoro revealed that his decision to lead the party was prompted by various prominent party members who expressed their hope for him to run for the position at the party’s congress and to stand as their preferable candidate in the November Presidential and National Assembly elections.

Rukoro made this remark while responding to the press statement issued by Kauandenge over the weekend, intimating  that his membership and affiliation are unknown.

Kauandenge issued the press statement after a campaign poster, carrying Rukoro’s image, surfaced on social media, pleading for party members to vote for him at the upcoming party congress. Through the poster, Rukoro promised “better community relations, prompt results”.  

In the statement, Kauandenge said “my office has received numerous calls from members of the media to confirm whether a certain Mr. Barry Rukoro, who has issued posters on social media that he will run for the Nudo presidency at our upcoming congress, is a member of Nudo currently or not.  I want to put it on record that my office has no records of a certain Mr. Barry Rukoro being a member of Nudo, and having done due diligence to confirm his membership, I could not find such records in my office.” 

Kauandenge further announced that Rukoro is not in any party structures from branch, constituency, regional or national level, while challenging him to prove beyond
any reasonable doubts when he had joined Nudo, who signed his membership card and when and how he has participated in party programmes all these
years. According to Kauandenge, for a member to be eligible to contest for a presidential position, he should be a paid-up member, and for five years been a member in the top structures of the party. “Kauandenge does not have capacity to confirm any membership as the party currently does not have a membership database. 

His statement does not hold water because he does not have any database in place. My family and I have been members of the party ever since.  People are just scared of losing out,
and that is why they are spreading such information,” Rukoro fumed in return.

Rukoro, once referred to by football lovers as the Iron Duke of Namibian football, refused to comment further, saying it is premature as the negotiations between him and the party are ongoing. He can only be able to comment after the deal is sealed towards the end of next week. 

If Rukoro goes ahead with his campaign, he will be the third member of Nudo vying for the party’s presidential post, along with incumbent Esther Utjiua Muinjangue and Kauandenge.

- lnashuuta@gmail.com