Namibia: Mururani Demands Fully Fledged Health Facility

What the report says

AllAfrica, carrying a New Era report from Mankumpi dated 21 July 2026, reported that leaders in Mururani, in Namibia’s Mankumpi constituency of Kavango West, are pressing authorities to establish a fully equipped health facility. They say the community is relying on an abandoned container that functions only intermittently as a mobile outreach point, leaving residents without dependable local care.

According to the report, community representative Eunike Sem said the mobile clinic has largely stood unused for about six years and is mainly used when outreach teams visit. She said pregnant women, children, elderly residents, farmers and prisoners are often transported to Katjinakatji or Mangetti clinics, with some cases later sent on to Rundu. Village headman Namufinda Sikongo said distance and transport costs discourage timely treatment, and called for nurses to be stationed in Mururani rather than periodic services.

Mankumpi Constituency councillor Lukas Muha said repeated letters and meetings with health authorities had not yet led to action. He urged health centres for Mururani and Satotwa, permanent nursing staff at Mururani, and improvements at Katjinakatji clinic. Sikongo also argued that Mururani could serve nearby settlements and reduce pressure on existing clinics in the area.

Kavango West Regional Health Director Fransiska Hamutenya told the outlet the container was donated by the CDC Foundation as a temporary Community-Based Antiretroviral Therapy outreach site, not as a permanently staffed clinic. She cited transport failures, staffing shortages and accommodation problems, while saying the directorate intends to convert such CBART points into health posts with staff and logistics, though no firm timeline has been set.