Africa-Press – Namibia. Given its perennial underfunding levels, inadequate human capital and limited access to modern tools and advanced technologies for combating corruption, it is unfair and unreasonable to expect the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to fully live up to its mandate.
These were the sentiments of most Parliamentarians during Tuesday’s national budget contributions to the vote of the ACC, which has been allocated N$109 million for the 2026/27 financial year (FY).
Members of parliament on both sides of the aisle were strongly opposed to the allocation of N$109 million to the ACC for the 2026/27 fiscal year, which Independent Patriots for Change (IPC)’s Michael Mwashindange described as an insult to the mandate of the ACC.
“President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has said corruption must be compared to treason and those who do it should be held accountable. The president also said corruption is not simply a crime against the state; it is a betrayal of the people you are meant to serve and should thus be compared to treason. But how do you expect the ACC to seriously fight corruption with N$109 million? How do we as a country treat corruption as treason when the ACC’s budget does not speak to that mantra? It doesn’t add up,” said Mwashindange.
He specifically took issue with the N$4.6 million allocation towards the ACC’s travel and substance budget, while the national budget has made a provision of N$6.7 million for travel and substance to the office of the vice president.
“How is that possible? The ACC, which is expected to send its investigators out in the field and beyond our borders to collect evidence and track down corrupt people in high-profile cases, is given N$4.6 million for travel and substance, and the Office of the Vice President gets N$6.7 million for travel and substance. N$6.7 million to do what? So, are we serious about treating corruption as treason? I don’t think so,” he argued.
Affirmative Repositioning (AR) parliamentarian George Kambala also took issue with the N$109 million allocation, saying the continued underfunding of ACC denies it the opportunity to be on par with other anti-corruption bodies in the region and on the continent.
“We need to relook into this N$109 million for the ACC, because within our governance infrastructure or architecture, the ACC plays a very important role in ensuring that each and every person in the country is held accountable and that money does not go out of this country except through proper means and channels. Apart from that, the ACC equally needs to move with modern times, and we want to use our voice here to ensure that the institution’s operations are modernised. There is no way for us to be in 2026, but they are still on the analogue systems,” stated Kambala.
Outdated Act
Swapo’s Tobie Aupindi said despite the poor funding of the ACC, the institution’s Act of 2003 must be amended in order to respond to modern crimes and syndicates and also have access to advanced tools and technologies for fighting corruption.
“We are all concerned because we all want an institution that can combat corruption aggressively. But when you look at the ACC now, especially its Act No. 8 of 2003, it is kind of outdated in terms of social responsibility and new technology. And I believe that for continuous access to combating corruption, the Act needs to be updated to become relevant within the context of fast-moving industries,” Aupindi said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Phillipus Katamelo, called for stronger collective accountability in the fight against corruption, saying such responsibility not only lies with leadership but also with all those involved in key appointments and oversight processes.
Responding to concerns raised by MPs during contributions to the ACC budget vote, Katamelo assured the house that the government will investigate the proposed urgent amendments to the ACC Act and come up with a stronger policy framework to address evolving corruption risks, particularly in the procurement systems.
For More News And Analysis About Namibia Follow Africa-Press
