2018-03-28Staff Report 2 Clemans Miyanicwe Kamanjab Last year 854 people made use of the outreach programme of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration to apply for national documents in Kunene Region. This was revealed by Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration spokesperson, Sakeus Kadhikwa, recently in an interview with New Era. In 2016, 224 people made use of the programme. The programme ar Okanguati received 14 people and 251 made use of the programme at Khorixas. In 2017, Kamanjab had 185 visitors, Okanguati had 140, while o 40 visited the outreach programme in Khorixas. According to Kadhikwa, the outreach programme is about taking services closer to the people as it is the ministry’s mandate. “With the outreach programme we are able to reach the masses, especially people who live in remote places far from the offices. They are able to go to centres where the team is there for that specific date and obtain the national document they are looking for,” Kadhikwa said. The ministry in collaboration with regional councillors facilitates the outreach programme. “The councillors inform inhabitants of the dates and areas to be visited well in advance to make sure everyone is aware of such developments.,” Kadhikwa said. By so doing, the ministry is able to manage the National Population Register, aimed at ensuring that the government and other key stakeholders have the necessary demographic statistical information needed for planning purposes, said Kadhikwa. The outreach programme also empowers communities to exercise their civic rights such as voting. According to Kadhikwa the programme has proven to be a resounding success based on the total turn-up. In comparison to having fixed offices in all these areas, the outreach programme does not cost the ministry a lot of money. “Staff members undertaking this task don’t claim travel allowance – the only expense incurred during the programme is the money spent on fuel for the vehicles used,” says Kadhikwa. In monetary terms, the ministry spends less than N$10,000 – a massive savings taking into account the salaries and other benefits to be paid if they had fixed offices as well as utility services. Previously the outreach programme took place in Khorixas, Okanguati and Kamanjab but Sesfontein was also added. The ministry has a regional office in Opuwo, and a sub-regional office in Outjo, Khorixas and Okanguati in Epupa Constituency, as well as an office at Opuwo State Hospital. In total there are five offices in in the Kunene Region. Category one refers to offices that offer fully-fledged services as these offices cater for identification applications, birth certificates, death registrations, passport applications as well as the collection of these documents. The sub-regional offices in Kunene are Khorixas sub-regional office, Okanguati sub-regional office and Opuwo hospital office. There are 19 staff members in Kunene Region. Outjo has four employees, while there is one at Khorixas, one at Okanguati, one at Opuwo hospital and 13 at Kunene regional office. 2018-03-28Staff Report 2
