Geingob promises officials lifestyle audit

PRESIDENT Hage Geingob said all government officials will be subjected to audits to assess whether their salaries match their lifestyles.

Geingob made this short remark during his one-hour interview on Wednesday night on the Voice of America’s Straight Talk Africa programme with presenter Shaka Ssali.

The President was on the show to talk about his vision for Africa, as well as on national and international affairs.

Asked what he is doing to curb corruption, Geingob said: “We will also have lifestyle audits. This is going to be done”.

Geingob asked rhetorically: “If your salary is this, how do you live this kind of lifestyle?”

Albertus Aochumub yesterday said lifestyle audits are usually conducted as the President explained where there is a disconnect between a person’s earnings and lifestyle.

“They can be randomly conducted or over a period of time in further strengthening accountability, transparency and effective governance. All public officials can be subjected to it in the same way that they are expected to declare their assets,” he said.

Lifestyle audits have been carried out in Kenya to weed out corrupt officials.

Even though it is not clear when the audits will be done, these comments will still be good news for civil society organisations such as the Institute for Public Policy Research which have, over the years, been asking for lifestyle audits for all ministers and senior public servants.

The Public Service Commission has also called for the introduction of lifestyle audits as one of the ways to detect graft among public officials.

Geingob said his administration is doing a “great deal” to curb corruption.

Asked what his most important decision since he became President last year was, Geingob listed several pointers, but the presenter cornered him to only mention one.

The President said he cancelled the N$7 billion upgrade tender at the Hosea Kutako International Airport in a bid to tackle corruption in government.

He said he believed that the tender was unethically awarded. “To my shock, as I was travelling here, the court apparently said it was wrong (to cancel it),” Geingob said.

Namibian courts, he said, are independent, and that he accepts the recent decision.

Geingob said the government will appeal the decision.

“That was a big thing that could have set the stage. I thought I was starting with a bang. People are always saying that there are no consequences in government, you can do things (and get away with it),” Geingob added.

The show host also asked Geingob to explain how it feels to be a President. He said he wakes up early in the morning, reads his papers, listens to world news and then goes to his office.

His office is just a few minutes away if he sleeps at State House. If not, he will be driven from Casa Rosalia, his house which is about three kilometres from State House. “I drive, with two cars only. No escorts, no stopping of the streets. The life of a

President, I don’t feel it yet. I’m still new,” he said.

It has been a challenge, Geingob said, since people have high expectations. “One person cannot do it alone. It must be team work instead of personalities,” he added.

The President said his job now is an assignment to serve the Namibian people for five years.

“If I am in good shape and they want me, maybe the last term will be second, but that is not yet on the cards. I’m dealing with the (remaining) four years,” he added.

Geingob also emphased his drive for transparency, saying the first thing he did was to declare his assets.

“Some people see me in these suits which I like to wear, and they think I have a lot of money or illegal money. So I said, the best is to start on the top (to declare),” he noted.

The President was also asked for his views on the dissatisfaction of teachers who are threatening to stop working.

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