Govt behind schedule on N$2.9bn district hospital

Construction of the newly planned N$2.9 billion state hospital in Windhoek’s Havana informal settlement is yet to commence, two years after the groundbreaking ceremony.

The 500-bed hospital was scheduled to be completed in 2027 to relieve the burden at Katutura Intermediate Hospital.

Havana residents and some opposition parties have accused the government of using the groundbreaking ceremony as a ploy by Swapo to canvass votes for the November elections in 2024.

Efraim Amungulu (25) is one of the residents who believes this.

“The hospitals and clinics are full during the weekends. This hospital could ease the load. I do not know why there is a delay, is it the lack of resources? This is not fair for the community,” he told The Namibian.

When The Namibian visited the site last week, there were a few contractors levelling the ground to construct a road that will lead to the hospital.

During the groundbreaking event in 2024, former minister of health and social services Kalumbi Shangula assured the public that the planned construction of the district hospital was not a campaign tool of the Swapo government. He said since 2018, building the district hospital had been one of his priorities; however, plans were offset by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

Similarly, president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, as vice president at the time, said the construction of the hospital would create hundreds of jobs.

Resident Johanna Shiimba (28) says they are tired of waiting for these promised jobs.

“We, as nurse graduates, are waiting for the hospital to be completed so we are employed. People get sick and cannot afford taxi fares to go to the hospital due to the distance,” she says.

Affirmative Repositioning member of parliament Frederick Shitana says the promise of the hospital’s construction was a “trap”. “Nobody is even talking about it anymore because it was a form of a campaign. A lot is said during campaigns.

The year 2027 is around the corner, yet nothing is done,” says Shitana.

At the time of the groundbreaking ceremony in May 2024, The Namibian reported that the ministry said no bids for construction had been advertised. The Central Procurement Board of Namibia said it had not received a tender regarding the planned hospital.

Former health executive director Ben Nangombe at the time maintained that the project had a clear plan and would be completed by 2027. Health ministry spokesperson Walters Kamaya says construction of the dual carriageway access road and bulk water supply lines is 77% complete.

He says it was awarded to Kongom Group and JV Genmael Investments.

“Construction of the electrical bulk supply lines and switchgear, awarded to Pioneer Power Installation and JV Omusati Electrical Construction, began on 10 July 2025 and is set for completion on 10 April,” he says.

Kamaya adds that while services are being established, the team is finalising the hospital’s construction drawings.

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