OSHAKATI – President of the Namibia Association of Local Authority Officials, Moses Matyayi, has raised alarm over increasing political interference in local authorities, warning that it is destabilising municipal governance and weakening service delivery.

Speaking at the 22nd annual conference and annual general meeting of the Namibian Association of Local Authority Officials (Nalao) in Oshakati on Wednesday, Matyayi said officials are facing mounting pressure through what he described as arbitrary suspensions, dismissals, and undue external influence across several local authorities.

“We continue to witness troubling patterns, a castigation of the sector, a castigation of chief executive officers, and a castigation of officials through various means, whether it is through suspensions or dismissals that may be arbitrary and may not follow proper procedures. 

Whether this is due to political influence or it is due to undue interference, we believe they pose a threat to several issues, including non-renewal of contracts,” he said.
He says they face an unjust, demeaning threat with lasting career consequences.

“And as CEOs, as administrators, we are threatened. This threat is not only unjust; it is demeaning. It is degrading, which may have long-term career-limiting implications,” Matyayi said.
He cautioned that such practices are not only unfair to administrators but also have broader consequences for towns and cities, including disrupted continuity in service delivery and declining investor confidence.

“We believe that when this is happening, it undermines institutional stability. It undermines professional administration. It undermines continuity of service delivery. And in the end, it undermines investors’ confidence in that specific town or that specific urban area. 

It erodes, or it steals the jobs that would have come for the very residents that we are advocating for,” Matyayi continued.
Matyayi stressed that professional administrators must be allowed to carry out their duties independently, without intimidation or political pressure, while still being held accountable through proper and transparent processes.

The conference is taking place from Wednesday to today under the theme ‘Inspiring people-centred smart cities for inclusive and sustainable urbanisation’.
-Nampa