Four minors from Livaye Village in Kavango East who died from suspected food poisoning were buried in a mass grave over the weekend.

Eight children initially ate the food, of whom four died and the others survived, while the remaining four were discharged.

The incident happened on February 26.

According to family members, a 13-year-old boy had prepared a lunch of porridge and mutete, which the children consumed.

Another meal of porridge and soup was prepared by an older relative for supper, which the minors also consumed.

For the past 34 years, rural electrification in the Kavango East Region has mostly targeted public institutions instead of households. 

The regional leadership says it's about time to shift focus to households in rural areas, where some have been without electricity since independence. 

This was among the deliberations that took place during the discussion between representatives of the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Kavango Regional Council on the question of rural electrification. 

The Chairperson of the Kavango East Regional Council, Damian Maghambayi, says the impasse on where a new school in Rundu's Ndama Informal Settlement should be constructed has been resolved.

The community of Ndama West demanded the school be constructed in their area as originally planned because the area does not have a single school.

Maghambayi says wherever the school is constructed, be it in Ndama South or Ndama West, its location will be beneficial to all residents.

The Kavango East Regional Council is happy with the decentralisation of the Ministry of Works and Transport's maintenance functions to the regional council.

Its chairperson, Damian Maghambayi, says this will expedite public infrastructure maintenance and increase regional participation.

Maghambayi says district gravel roads, among others, will greatly benefit from the decentralisation of functions as they have been neglected for a long time.

The Kavango East and West regional councils are happy with the prospects of livestock marketing following the opening of the Rundu Abattoir.

The Meat Cooperation of Namibia's bid to manage the government abattoir was successful, and it is currently testing slaughter at the facility.

Meatco held a consultative meeting with the leadership of the two regions and with farmers at Rundu to hear their expectations.

Kavango East Chairperson Damian Maghambayi is happy that the long-awaited reopening of the abattoir could bring business and job opportunities for residents.

Kavango East Regional Council only managed to implement 70% of its intended projects in the 2022–2023 financial year.

This was revealed at a review and planning meeting held at Rundu.

During the review process, various divisions and directorates delivered presentations, highlighting their achievements and challenges faced during the 2022–2023 financial year.

Chairperson of the Kavango East Regional Council, Damian Maghambayi, stated that most of the directorate failed to accomplish their targets due to budget constraints.

The Kavango East Regional Council is not happy with the governance assessment report released by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).

Its Chairperson, Damian Maghambayi, says the report was produced without consulting the regional councils on the implementation of projects.

This year, the IPPR published its first Local and Regional Government Annual Assessment Report.

The assessment measured the levels of transparency and accountability at each of the 14 regional councils in Namibia.