Katima Mulilo Airport:Where ‘World Class’ is Justa Slogan on a Banner

When you enter an airport, you expect the basics: clean walls, proper seating, and a space that tells visitors ‘Welcome to Namibia’.

At Katima Mulilo Airport, the welcome feels more like ‘Please adjust your expectations’. The bright yellow walls on the outside greet you first, with letters peeling off as if the paint has given up.

But it’s the inside of the building that truly tells the story.

Locals and tourists are meant to sit on a patchwork of cement interlocks and wooden planks – some with missing pieces that make you calculate the risks before sitting down.

As you look around, the windows are cracked, chipped, and patched with strips of sellotape – a sign that maintenance stopped being a priority a long time ago.

On another wall, the head of state’s portrait hangs proudly, surrounded by holes that look like they survived a battlefield.

And just when you think you’ve seen it all, you notice a few metal chairs in the corner, rusted to the point where using them feels more like a safety hazard than an option.

The highlight in the building is the Namibia Airports Company (NAC) banner standing confidently in the corner with the vision ‘World-Class Service Provider’.

If sarcasm had a physical form, it would be that banner.

In a region full of potential, the airport should be a symbol of pride, not a reminder of how far we’ve fallen behind as a nation.

Because if this is what we call world class, then the standard isn’t low, it’s somewhere six feet under.

It’s time for accountability, investment, and real action.

The Zambezi region deserves an airport that reflects its beauty, its culture, and its people.

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