KUAIMA Riruako was born on April 24, 1935 in the Aminuis constituency in the Omaheke Region.

Riruako doubles up as the Paramount Chief of the Ovaherero and President of the National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo). He is one of the three representatives of the party in the National Assembly, alongside party Secretary General Asser Mbai and Arnold Tjihuiko. He was the party’s presidential candidate in the November 2004 elections, coming fourth with 4.23 percent of the national vote.

Riruako has been Paramount Chief of the Ovaherero since 1978, succeeding Clemence Kapuuo to the throne following the latter’s assassination the same year.

In this capacity, he has been spearheading a campaign for compensation from the German government for the Ovaherero genocide between 1904 and 1907 in the same manner that Jews have received compensation for the Holocaust. Germany has continued to rule this out, but he has won a formal apology from the German government.

Riruako’s political career dates back to the 60’s. He was a founding member of Nudo in 1964. From 1964 to 1977 he lived in exile first in Botswana, then Ghana and Zambia and finally New York in the Unites States, where he also attended university.

Riruako was a member of the Constitutional Council under South African rule from 1986 to 1987, a body that was meant to draft a constitution for the Transitional Government of National Unity. In 1989, Riruako was first elected to the National Assembly of Namibia as a candidate of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA), but pulled out in September 2003 when Nudo withdrew from the DTA, with Riruako accusing the DTA of failing to work for the interests of the Ovaherero. He became President of Nudo as an independent party on September 18, 2003, the same month he resigned from the National Assembly. He was subsequently elected as Nudo candidate in the November 2004 parliamentary election and has served for a second period in the National Assembly since March 20, 2005.

Asser Mbai, Nudo Secretary General and Acting Vice President

Asser Mbai was a former sportsman who joined politics. He replaced Mburumba Kerina as one of three representatives of Nudo in the National Assembly after the latter fell out with the party leadership over alleged misappropriation of the party’s funds allocated to it by the State.

Mbai was born in 1950 in Otjiwarongo and moved to Windhoek in 1968 to attend Augustineum Secondary School, where his penchant for politics blossomed.

Prior to becoming a Member of Parliament, Mbai was the regional councillor for the Okakarara constituency.

Mbai also doubles up as the party’s Acting Vice President, a position that has been vacated by Chief Tumbee Tjombe following the official recognition of the Ovaherero Traditional Authority by the Government late last year. Recognised under the chieftainship of Riruako, however pursuant to the Traditional Authorities Act, Act 25 of 2000, traditional leaders are not allowed to wear both caps at the same time, that of a traditional leader and that of a politician. Hence Riruako wears the political cap for the time being while Tjombe acts as head of the traditional authority.

Usiël Tjijenda was born on February 12, 1944. He holds a Diploma in Adult Education from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. He also has a Diploma in Administration of Adult Education and Diploma in Teaching English as a Foreign Language also from the United Kingdom. His work experience includes working for the Edmund Lafrenz (Pty) Ltd Construction Company as a wages clerk, Herma Bros (Pty) Ltd Construction Company as wages clerk, teacher for adult education in the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture and Education Officer for Community Learning and Development Centres throughout Namibia.

His political career started in 1964, as a member of the South West Africa National Union (Swanu), until 2003.

During this period, he performed different functions in that party. In late 2003, he joined Nudo of Namibia where he has been serving as the Deputy Secretary General.


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