Okaku Constituency
Okaku Constituency is an electoral constituency in the Oshana Region of Namibia. It has 19,262 inhabitants,[1] its district capital is the settlement of Okaku.
Okaku falls under the Ondonga Traditional Authority. Its first councillor is Honourable Henock ya Kasita who served the constituency from the independence till 2010. Ya Kasita was followed by Honourable Joseph Kapya Endjala who was the head of Cosdec centre in Ondangwa.
Okaku residents depend on farming. They cultivate their fields on a subsistence basis to get food such as millet, beans, melons, sorghum and nuts. Their staple is porridge (oshithima), and their traditional drink is ontaku.
Politics
Okaku constituency is traditionally a stronghold of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) party. In the 2015 local and regional elections the SWAPO candidate won uncontested and became councillor after no opposition party nominated a candidate.[2]
Education
Schools in the constituency include Oshikondiilongo Combined School, Otala Combined School, Okaku Primary School, Nengushe Junior Secondary School, Eloolo Combined School, Onyeka Combined School and Ontinda Primary School.
Development
Okaku has 4 ELCIN parishes,1 Engelical and one Catholic parish. It has one clinic named after the constituency. Most of the infrastructure in Okaku has electricity through the Ministry of Mines and Energy's Rural Electrification Programme.
Except the main roads between Oshakati and Ondangwa and between Ondangwa and Oshikango, most of the roads in the constituency are gravel. The communication network is available in the area. Residents do their shopping in Ondangwa and Oshakati.
As one of the constituencies in the flood prone area, Okaku suffered by the flood during rainy season. The road between Ondangwa and the t-junction on the way to Oshakati was under flood water in 2009. A number of schools cannot be reached during the rainy season. Okaku has a gravel road from Okapya to Ongha via Onanime.
References
- "Constituencies of Namibia, 2004". Statoids.com. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
- Kangootui, Nomhle (23 October 2015). "Swapo gets ǃNamiǂNûs uncontested". The Namibian. Archived from the original on October 24, 2015.
- Shivute, O (27 February 2009): "Okaku prone to flood." The Namibian, p.6
- W.J Mbangula (2011): "Okaku hungry for development." New Era p.2