The late Prof Mburumba Kerina had been coaching me to become Namibia’s first female president on 21 March 2030. Prof was not perfect just like everyone else. He was not immune to mistakes as he too was a human being.
What no one can deny; including angels in heaven is that he was an intelligent individual who embodied humility, kindness, compassion and genuine patriotism.
On 22 May 2021, Prof contacted me and requested my presence at his home. During our meeting, we finalised my presidential manifesto for November 2029. He warned me against starting my own political party.
He empowered me to focus on actualising my ideals in the next seven years and to stay away from politics because I am an intellectual and not a politician.
We agreed that I will re-write the Namibian constitution and host referendums for Namibian people to vote for or against publication and use of a new constitution that will impart more power to the masses. We agreed that the new constitution will control rental fees and housing value, which is ridiculously high in Windhoek, especially.
We spoke about the possibility of making Peingeondjabi Shipoh my vice president, Prof Lazarus Hangula my advisor and Timoteus Namwandi (CEO of Oshakati Town Council) my prime minister.
We also joked about making Peya Hitula (General Manager of Tunacor) my minister of fisheries. Prof continued empowering me to be patient in achieving my goals. In Prof’s own words: “You survived Benin, there is nothing you will not be able to survive in life, my daughter.
God is always kind to you because you are an honest person with rare good human qualities. This country is governed both practically and spiritually. Never stop believing. Never stop praying.”
I last saw Prof three weeks ago at his home in Dorado Valley. We had just returned home from a meeting with Hon. Utoni Nujoma when we had breakfast in which Prof wanted me to try out Herero fat.
Before driving to the ministry of labour, Prof walked himself to his daughter; Jackie’s car, and as he opened the car door, he joked about being young at heart. Prof was full of many jokes.
A month ago when I visited his home, as he handed me a book entitled: ‘In the words of Nelson Mandela’, edited by Jennifer Crwys-Williams, he empowered me to make reading my guilty pleasure. I responded by saying that I recently read a poorly edited book that attempted to confuse my vocabulary hence I threw it away. Prof could not stop laughing at what I had said to him.
I always visited Prof unannounced and never was he offended by it. We often spoke about development as well as my ambition to become the first female president of the Republic of Namibia.
Prof contributed richly to the political liberation struggle of Namibia. He co-founded Swapo. He co-authored the Namibian constitution.
He named our country; Namibia. He forced the Germans to pay reparations for genocide committed against the Nama and Herero from 1904 to 1908. He did this through relentlessly writing letters to Germany, collectively with late Chief Kuaima Riruako. Therefore, it is only befitting for Prof to have a flamboyant tombstone.
For that reason, I am humbly requesting all distinguished delegates, business personalities and the entire Namibian populace to make donations to this cause of goodwill. I can be reached at pakkala.ashipala@yahoo.com. On behalf of Kerina family, thank you in advance.