Fury in Namibia over inclusion of president’s four children in COP28 delegation

Some Namibians have expressed outrage over the inclusion of President Hage Geingob’s children in the government’s delegation to the ongoing COP28 climate summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

In a list published by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), four of the president’s children were included in the Namibian delegation.

“We are treated like orphans in Namibia. Why should the president’s children go to Dubai and we have to go Swakop? And we still have to pay they don’t!!!!,” Chango, an X user, tweeted on Tuesday.

The Namibian presidency confirmed in a statement that the first children were part of the delegation but said their trip was not state-funded.

“There is no truth in the allegations that the children of the First Couple travelled at state expense to the United Arab Emirates,” the statement said.

“President Geingob and Madame Geingos paid for the flights and accommodation expenses of their children.

“The Presidency considers these allegations to be malicious and politically motivated, with the clear intent to detract from the excellent work President Geingob and the Namibian delegation have been carrying out at #COP28.

“The Namibian public and the media should be rest assured that not a single cent of public funds has been spent on the children of the First Couple.”

However, Inna Hengari, a member of parliament, said the first family travelled at taxpayers’ expense and the funds should be accounted for.

“We will bring it to the House when we resume next year,” she said.

AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS ACCUSED OF USING COP28 TO SPLURGE

The controversy in Namibia comes amid criticisms against African governments for sending large delegations to COP28, which some citizens describe as a waste of scarce resources.

According to the UN’s attendance list, Nigeria, Morocco, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, and Uganda were among the nations with the largest teams.

Nigeria topped the list with 1,411 delegates, followed by Morocco with 823, and Kenya with 765.

The Nigerian delegation includes Seyi and Hakeem, children of President Bola Tinubu, who were listed as staff of the Nigerian government.

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the last general election, said the size of the Nigerian delegation, which was also the third-highest overall alongside China, was a clear example of misplaced priorities given the surging inflation and asphyxiating economy back home.

However, Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, said only 422 of the 1,411-member delegation were sponsored by the federal government.

Idris said some of the participants were sponsored by state governments and private entities.

The Kenyan government also had to address concerns about delegate numbers, saying the figures in the public sphere had been “exaggerated”.

Hussein Mohammed, Kenyan presidential spokesperson, said the figures represented those who had registered for the event, not the actual attendees, adding that the national government had approved only 51 essential delegates, with the remainder sponsored by various groups.

Fighting backlash of its own, the Tanzanian government said over 90 percent of the country’s delegation was sponsored by the private sector.