Namibia: Mururani Demands Fully Fledged Health Facility

What the report says

AllAfrica, carrying a New Era report from Mankumpi dated 21 July 2026, reports that community leaders in Mururani, in Namibia’s Mankumpi constituency of Kavango West, are pressing authorities to establish a fully fledged health centre. They say residents currently rely on distant clinics and an old container that functions only irregularly as a mobile outreach point.

Community representative Eunike Sem told New Era that the mobile clinic site has largely stood unused for around six years and is mainly used during occasional outreach visits. She said pregnant women, children, elderly people, farmers and prisoners often have to be transported to Katjinakatji or Mangetti clinics, with some patients then referred onward to Rundu. Village headman Namufinda Sikongo said distance and transport costs discourage timely treatment, and argued that nurses should be stationed permanently in Mururani.

Mankumpi constituency councillor Lukas Muha said previous letters and meetings with health authorities had not yet led to a solution. He called for health centres at Mururani and Satotwa, permanent nursing staff at Mururani, and improvements at Katjinakatji clinic. Local leaders also suggested Mururani could serve surrounding settlements and reduce pressure on nearby facilities including Katjinakatji, Mangetti and Mpora.

Kavango West regional health director Fransiska Hamutenya said the container had been donated by the CDC Foundation for temporary community-based antiretroviral therapy adherence outreach, not as a permanently staffed clinic. She cited transport, staffing and accommodation constraints, while saying the directorate plans to convert such outreach points into health posts with staff and logistics, though no firm timeline has been set.