Residents of the Kavango East Region have proposed to the 5th Boundaries Delimitation and Demarcation Commission to divide the region into two and create more constituencies, as some of them are overpopulated.

They made the suggestions during the commission's consultation at Rundu. 

The 1st Boundaries Delimitation and Demarcation Commission in 1992 created Kavango as a region on its own.

Considering the fast-growing population of the then-Kavango Region, challenges of access to public services, and poor social and economic conditions, the region was divided into the Kavango East and Kavango West regions during the 4th Boundaries Delimitation and Demarcation Commission in 2013. 

In their submission, the Chairperson of the Kavango East Regional Council, Damian Maghambayi, stated that the previous census reports indicate that the Kavango East Region is one of the fastest-growing regions in terms of population.

The region is also lagging behind in terms of social, economic, and infrastructure development. 

The proposed demarcation, if approved, will therefore help residents to equitably access public services and development in general, he says. 

"The Fifth Delimitation Commission is therefore urged to consider the regional submission positively. To enable effective participatory democratic processes. 2. To bring government services closer to the people through regional and constituency representation (decentralisation). 3. To enable timely, coordinated development through consultative regional development plans and strategies; 4. To effectively facilitate regional and national development, including the equitable distribution of resources and services based on the latest demographic trends."

In its submission preparations, the governor's office and regional council consulted all stakeholders for their input, which they now submitted to the commission.

"All the stakeholders consulted expressed their desire to demarcate the constituencies as proposed, namely Mukwe into three constituencies, Ndiyona into two constituencies, Ndonga Linena into two constituencies, Mashare into three constituencies, and Rundu Urban into eight constituencies. The total number of constituencies proposed for the Kavango East Region is 19; if Ncuncuni Constituency is to be reintegrated into Kavango East, it will bring the total to 20. Based on the proposed 20 constituencies, considering population size and access to equitable and quality public services, the stakeholders emphasised the need to divide the current Kavango East Region into two regions: Kavango East Region and Kavango Central Region."

Despite the constituency meetings during the presentation, community members in attendance shared their views on the final report.