The City of Windhoek is again facing allegations of impropriety following the endorsement of Leevi Iileka as the head of the City Police by the management committee and its acting CEO Faniel Maanda without adhering to proper procedures.
New Era has learned from City sources that the committee is allegedly on the verge of deviating from the established municipal police recruitment policy and regulations.
The controversy arose when the position of chief of City Police became vacant after Abraham Kanime retired when his extended tenure expired in April this year.
Reliable sources have disclosed that the council is pushing to recommend the acting chief of police, Leevi Iileka, for the position, and Eliaser Iiyambo as deputy for operations.
Additionally, Adam Eiseb has been recommended for the position of deputy chief for administration.
One source questioned why the council opted to recommend the trio without following proper procedures.
According to the municipal police recruitment policy, the proposed suitable candidates are supposed to be selected by the selection committee and the inspector general of the Namibian Police, and then forwarded to the CEO – not solely decided by the CEO.
The concern revolves around the recommendation of two City police officials who have been in the public eye due to the irregularity surrounding their recruitment to their current positions.
These are Leevi Shivolo and Eliaser Iiyambo.
Iiyambo was appointed as a senior superintended heading the legal department, while Shivolo was a deputy chief for traffic two years ago.
The appointment has left some councillors and other police officials questioning the transparency and adherence to standard procedures within the City’s police force recruitment process.
However, the chairperson of the management committee, Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma, defended the action, describing it as “strictly confidential”.
New Era reached out to both the chairperson and the acting CEO, Faniel Maanda, seeking comprehensive answers as to why the entity deviated from the existing municipal recruitment regulations and policy last Friday.
However, Maanda chose not to comment on the questions, while Nujoma defended the actions, claiming they are empowered by the existing regulations, despite apparent contradictions.
“The regulations in place do not align with each other, but I have instructed the CEO to write to the advisory committee to revise and update them accordingly,” Nujoma explained.
“The matter has already gone through the management committee, which has recommended it for approval by the council on Thursday (today),” he said
Nujoma emphasised the importance of stability within the police force for the safety of residents, and he expects the council to make its decision through the established channels.
However, Nujoma took a stand by presenting the municipal regulation of 2012 and the municipal police recruitment policy, which also contradicted their actions.
When approached for comment, the inspector general of the police, Joseph Shikongo, told New Era he was not consulted as per the Recruitment Police Act to be involved in the process.
He stated that he was not informed before he left the office on 20 July 2023 for his regional programme.
The current selection committee comprises members from the Namibian Police Force, Namibia Defence Force, Namibia Central Intelligence Services and technical members from the City of Windhoek.
Commissioner Abed Kashihakumwa and deputy commissioner Elizabeth Kambenge represent the Namibian Police, group captain air commodore RHB Muhenje and colonel Petrus Ndemuwenda represent NDF, while Konis Asino and Elias Likius represent the Office of the President.
When questioned, some committee members stated they were not informed of the process, and others claimed not to know anything about it.
Regarding the recent selection committee’s actions, Muhenje, one of the committee members, said he was not informed about the submission of names.
“If they have followed the act and informed the committee, the information did not reach me. I don’t know anything,” he lamented, before saying he did not want his name in the newspaper, as he knew nothing about the subject matter.
Both deputy commissioner Kambenge and other members of the committee could not shed light on the process, claiming they were not aware of any developments and declined to comment further.
“I really don’t know anything. I don’t want to comment on things I do not know,” Kambenge said.
Efforts to reach out to other members of the committee were unsuccessful, as numerous calls went unanswered.
The CEO, who promised to respond to queries on Monday, refused to entertain calls from the newspaper.
The source questioned why the council chose to bypass the law and focus on a single section of the regulation that empowered them to make appointments without following the proper procedures outlined in the policy.
In the past, when the position became vacant, following the resignation of Kanime in 2020, former CEO Robert Kahimise followed procedural steps and sought advice from the members of the service advisory committee to identify suitable candidates for the head of City Police.
Interviews were conducted, but Kanime retained his position after the advisory body, which includes top security chiefs, dropped the initially preferred candidate Commissioner Elias Mutota.
In the current situation, only the CEO recommended Iileka as a solo candidate for the position of the head, and Iiyambo and Eiseb for the deputy positions to the management committee.
The management council endorsed the proposal and passed it to the council for consideration. The decision on this matter is expected to be reached in the upcoming council meeting.
- ljason@nepc.com.na