President Geingob's death is a great loss for Africa – Museveni

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has mourned the death of Namibian President Hage Geingob.

Museveni said his passing is a great loss for the people of Namibia and the African continent.

In a statement on Monday, Museveni remembered Geingob for his contribution to Namibia's fight for freedom and the continent, through activities of the SWAPO party.

"The other day, we got very bad news of the death of H.E. Geingob, our brother, President of Namibia.  It is a great loss for Namibia and Africa. 

"On behalf of the Government and People of Uganda, I salute the contribution of the late H.E. Geingob to the cause of freedom of Namibia and Africa in general. I extend our condolences to his family and the people of Namibia," Museveni said.

He went on to share the moments he interacted with the leadership of the Namibian ruling party and how they shaped the course African liberation from colonialists.

At the time, the party operated from Tanzania.

"I have been working with SWAPO, the Namibian Liberation Movement, for the last 57 years, starting with 1967," he said.

Museveni added that he first heard of Geingob in the 1970s when he became the head of the Namibian Institute in Lusaka. He headed the institute from 1975.

"Some Ugandans, such as Joan Kategaya, worked there, during the time many of them were exiles, running away from the terror of Idi Amin. The Namibian Institute, I think, was training Namibians in exile so that they could be able to run their country after independence."

His remarks come a day after President Hage Geingob breathed his last at Lady Pohamba Hospital.

The 82-year-old leader, surrounded by his wife, Madame Monica Geingos and children, succumbed to his battle with cancer at 12:04 am.

Geingob returned from the United States of America on January 31, 2024, following a two-day novel treatment for cancerous cells.

He had courageously disclosed his diagnosis to the public just a month ago.

Leaders from across the continent mourned and eulogized the late President as a visionary leader.

---