Five months on, questions remain over Shikongo suspension
Five months after Inspector General of the Namibian Police Force Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo was suspended, questions over the reasons for the decision and the outcome of an investigation remain unanswered.
Shikongo was suspended by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on 5 May 2026, with Major General Anne-Marie Nainda appointed as Acting Inspector General for a period of one year, according to the parliamentary discussion.
The suspension has since remained a matter of public interest, with questions now being raised over when the findings of the investigation will be made public.
A notice of questions placed before Parliament asks why the nation has not yet been informed of the outcome of the investigation into Shikongo's suspension. "Given the public's interest in this matter, when will the President inform the nation of the findings and outcome of the investigation?" Ester Haikola-Sakaria asks. It also seeks an explanation as to why the public has not yet been provided with details surrounding the suspension.
The questions extend beyond the suspension itself, with Parliament also being asked to consider whether accountability was applied consistently following a separate security incident in May. Six inmates escaped from police holding cells at Onanjaba in the Omusati Region during May 2026. The parliamentary questions ask why Nainda was not suspended or subjected to a similar accountability process.
"Particularly, if security failures and institutional responsibility were among the reasons for the suspension and removal of Inspector General Joseph Shikongo, can the Minister explain what objective and consistent criteria were applied in deciding to take different action in these two cases?" Haikola-Sakaria states. Another issue raised concerns the security arrangements at State House.
She further questioned the reported deployment of members of the Namibian Defence Force at State House, including soldiers stationed at security posts around the premises. They ask why Shikongo was suspended if the security breach reportedly occurred between 3pm and 4pm, when NDF members would have been on duty. "Can the Minister explain how responsibility for the security breach was determined and why accountability was not applied equally to all security structures responsible for the State House security?" she ask.
The role of the State House surveillance system has also come under scrutiny. Haikola-Sakaria is seeking confirmation on whether all CCTV cameras were operational when the security breach occurred and, if any were malfunctioning, when the problem was first identified. Questions have also been raised about who was responsible for the maintenance, monitoring and repair of the CCTV system, and whether anyone was held accountable if a failure of the surveillance system contributed to the breach.
The unanswered questions place renewed focus on the circumstances surrounding Shikongo's suspension as the acting arrangement continues. Her questions ultimately seek clarity on the investigation, the basis on which accountability was determined and whether responsibility for security failures was applied consistently across the institutions involved.
