The Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security, Albert Kawana, expressed satisfaction with the cost of the construction of the Onhuno police checkpoint, which amounted to over N$8 million.

Dr. Kawana responded to a question from the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader, McHenry Venaani, regarding why the ministry did not investigate what appears to be a misuse of taxpayer funds.

The upgrade of the checkpoint includes a shelter and office block with restroom facilities for officers and the public.

The total cost of the upgrade is valued at over N$8 million.

Dr. Kawana emphasized the importance of the Onhuno police checkpoint as a critical monitoring and traffic regulation point, ensuring compliance with road safety regulations and deterring criminal activities on the road.

"Before opting for the Ultimate Building Machine roof structure through Aug 26 Construction, we conducted an analysis comparing it to previous costs of similar checkpoints, such as the Windhoek Airport checkpoint, which was built at a cost of N$12,232,840 in 2013 and completed in 2015. Based on the significant increase in steel prices over the past few years, the current estimated cost of a similar checkpoint is N$23,100,000. Additionally, the estimated cost of the Windhoek Okahandja checkpoint was N$41,654,895 after the design and documentation were completed in 2021. Therefore, the UBM roof structure was the most viable option."

Venaani also questioned why the structure was hastily constructed without considering quality and sophistication.

Dr. Kawana explained that the budgetary provision for the project was already made during the 2023–24 financial year, and a requisition for expenditure was presented and approved in November of the previous year.