Nampa allegedly pays CNN journalist N$105 000 amid salary repayment demand

THE Namibia Press Agency (Nampa) has allegedly paid CNN journalist Larry Madowo over N$100 000 to moderate sessions at a public relations officers’ conference held at Swakopmund last week.

Madowo, a Kenyan journalist, was invited by Nampa to lead conversations at the three-day conference.

Sources within the agency say he was paid US$2 000 (about N$36 000) per day and received a total of US$6 000 (about N$105 000), despite only participating for two days before leaving early.

In addition to his moderation fee, Nampa allegedly covered Madowo’s flight to Walvis Bay and his accommodation.

The payment has sparked criticism among staff, particularly because Nampa is currently demanding that employees who were overpaid in March repay the extra money in full by the end of July.

Nampa acting chief executive Jata Kazondu says Madowo was paid for his participation but declines to disclose the exact amount.

“I don’t know the exact amount, but the journalist was paid to be there. I don’t have that information with me,” Kazondu says.

He insists that the costs of accommodation and travel were not covered by Nampa’s operational budget, but by external sponsors.

“Whatever amount we paid, whatever expenditure we had for the conference, they were sponsored. We went out and got sponsors to cover all those costs,” Kazondu says.

He adds that because some Nampa journalists had not yet repaid the overpaid salaries, the agency relied on sponsorship to fund the event.

“Some of the money we were supposed to use is the money that journalists (at Nampa) are not paying back. So, we had to go out and get sponsors to cover that,” he says.

However, two Nampa insiders have refuted Kazondu’s claims, saying the payment to Madowo – including travel and accommodation – was funded directly by Nampa.

“The guy was paid US$2 000 per day for moderation, and he only did two days as he left early. On top of that, Nampa paid his flight ticket to Walvis Bay, as well as his accommodation,” one of the sources says.

According to the event’s programme, Madowo was scheduled to facilitate three panel discussions, each for about an hour.

On Tuesday, Kazondu wrote to the general secretary of the Namibia Public Workers Union that Nampa’s stance and that of its board is that all money owed by the staff must be deducted in full this month.

Nampa board chairperson Ndeuhala Katonyala-Lewis on Wednesday told The Namibian that the board does not involve itself in Nampa’s administrative matters.

Madowo could not be reached for comment.

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