Omuthiya Town Council Preliminary Profile
1. Population and Geographical size
Omuthiya Town Council is centrally located in the region and was declared the Capital City of
Oshikoto Region, it was then proclaimed as a Town in 2007.
The local community is currently small, of which 10 384 people lives in the town land (2001
census) the town will service a regional community of approximately 70 000 – 80 000 people. A
sharp increase for the community of the Town is expected with the development that will take
place, the business opportunities that will be created and the regional and municipal
government jobs. The surface area of Omuthiya townlands covers 12,497 hectares (including
part of the Etosha National park).
The main road and railway line crosses the town, resulting in ribbon type urban settlement
along the road. Away from the road, agriculture is the main economic activity with tourism
becoming increasingly important with direct access from the Etosha National Park via the King
Nehale Gate.
2. Organizational Chart of the Town Council and number of employees
The organization will be headed by the Chief Executive Officer administratively, and two
Managers respectively, one for Finance, Administration and Human Resources and another one
for Technical Services, Planning and Environment. The total staff complement for now will be
36 employees for four to five years to come; it will then be reviewed as the town grows.
Namibia as a country has an Affirmative Action Policy, which regulates as to how the gender
balance in a given employment should be handled.
3. Task of the Municipality
As a new town which has only three extensions and a town proper, major infrastructural
development are being undertaken as from 2006 to date, the exercise started with the planning
of town and the provision of basic services such as, the constructions of water, sewer and
electricity reticulations, storm water drainage system and gravel to tarred roads. So far 40% of
these works are complete. With regard to essential public institutions, our government system
does not allow a municipality to provide these services, but line Ministries are responsible for
that. Currently, the town is served with two primary schools, two combined schools, I
secondary school and a school circuit inspectorate office. A single Police station and one clinic
further serve the Town, while agricultural development is catered for through an ARDC and the
Okashana Research and Training Centre.
4. Decision making in the municipality
The town council is headed by the Mayor politically, who was nominated and seconded by the
councillors themselves. There is two political parties in the town council namely, SWAPO Party
with six seats and Rally for Democrat with one seat. SWAPO Party won the last election with
99%. The council is comprises of four male and two female councillors, they are entitled to a
monthly allowance.
The decision-making structure at a council level is made by the council members, the council
management and the full council. The two bodies sit once on a monthly basis at separate
occasions and also sit on an ad hoc basis if there is a need. All the council meetings are minuted
and the minutes are available for public consumptions.
The members of the council are elected councillors on a five year intervals. Our town is very
new which is only four (4) month old and the first election was in September 2008. The eligible
voters are the residents of the town, who are eighteen years and above and lives in the town
for uninterrupted period of twelve months.
5. Strategies and development plans of the municipality
Omuthiya Town Council being a newly proclaimed town which is in existence for only four
months now and it is in the process of employing permanent staffs, only then the strategic
plans could be developed up.
6. Municipality income and expenditure
The overall budget for eight months started November 2008 up to the end of the financial year
the 30th June 2009 is N$5.3 millions. This was purely the subsidy from the central government,
and we expect the same government to subsidize the council until such time that it can sustain
itself through revenue collections. The council is mandated by the provision of section 30 (1) of
the Local Authority Act (Act 23 of 1992) as amended, to generate its main source of income in
the form of;
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Water supply, sewerage, cemeteries, rates and taxes, selling of land, issuance of fines
and receive donations etc
So far the expenditures of the council are primarily to furnish the offices and to purchase
information technology equipments’ and jump start the process.
7. Participation of the Municipal residents
The constitutions of Namibia provides participatory democrats, hence residents of a given town
in Namibia forms part and parcel of the decision making processes.
Their participations start from the budget process right through to the execution of projects,
this is done through public meetings and the sitting of the full council is open for public.
8. Municipality-State relations
The state is the custodian of local authorities in Namibia; therefore the government is subsiding
small local authorities for their operational budget.
By His Worship the Mayor
Honourable Heskiel Nanyeni
Omuthiya Town Council