Venaani questions Mnyupe’s multiple roles

The leader of the Popular Democratic Movement of Namibia (PDM), McHenry Venaani, has a bone to pick with the multiple appointments of James Mnyupe, who is the presidential economic advisor and hydrogen commissioner for the Namibian government.

It has emerged that Mnyupe has also been appointed to manage the Green Hydrogen Implementation Authority’s office at the Ministry of Mines and Energy under the GH2 Namibia Programme.

Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, Venaani gave notice of questions to the minister in the presidency, Christine Hoebes, for which he expects answers by Thursday.

Venaani wants to know whether Mnyupe’s multiple roles do not result in a duplication of duties and whether the appointments are justifiable.

“How does the government justify having one individual holding multiple roles across different public sectors and what measures are in place to prevent potential conflicts of interest,” Venaani queried.

He further enquired whether there are established procedures to ensure that the tasks and responsibilities in each of Mnyupe’s roles are distinct, to avoid redundancy and to promote effectiveness. He also queried the legality and practicality of the appointments.

“Does the appointment of the same individual to multiple roles violate the principle of separation of powers, especially if the roles are meant to have checks and balances on each other,” he asked, further dwelling on how government intends to ensure that the roles of presidential economic advisor and green hydrogen commissioner do not overlap or conflict with the duties of the green hydrogen implementation authority’s office.

“What are the key performance indicators for each of the roles that Mnyupe holds and how is his performance being monitored objectively and evaluated,” he asked.

“Is there a documented rationale for assigning these multiple roles to a single individual and if so, could it be made transparent for public scrutiny?” he further queried.

Mnyupe also questioned how government is ensuring that the policies and strategies of the Green Hydrogen Implementation Authority’s office will align with the broader economic objectives advised by him in his financial advisory role and whether there are protocols for the presidential economic advisor to recuse himself from discussions and decisions that may affect the GH2 Namibia Programme.

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