Hifikepunye Pohamba Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Hifikepunye Pohamba
Pohamba in 2010

2nd President of Namibia
In office 21 March 2005 – 21 March 2015
Prime Minister	Nahas Angula (2005–2012) Hage Geingob (2012–2015)
Preceded by	Sam Nujoma
Succeeded by	Hage Geingob
President of SWAPO
In office 29 November 2007 – 19 April 2015
Preceded by	Sam Nujoma
Succeeded by	Hage Geingob
Minister of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation
In office 2001–2005
President	Sam Nujoma
Preceded by	Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana
Succeeded by	Jerry Ekandjo
Minister without portfolio
In office 1997–2000
President	Sam Nujoma
Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources
In office 1995–1997
President	Sam Nujoma
Preceded by	Helmut Angula
Succeeded by	Abraham Iyambo
Minister of Home Affairs
In office 1990–1995
Preceded by	position established
Succeeded by	Jerry Ekandjo

Personal details
Born	Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba (1935-08-18) 18 August 1935 (age 89) Okanghudi, Ovamboland, South West Africa (now Namibia)
Political party	SWAPO
Spouse	Penehupifo Pohamba
Children	Tulongeni Kaupu Ndapanda and two stepchildren, Waldheim and Ndelitungapo Shiluwa
Alma mater	Peoples' Friendship University of Russia
Occupation	Politician
Religion	Anglicanism

Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba (born 18 August 1935) is a Namibian politician. He was the second president of Namibia, serving from 2005 to 2015. He won the presidential election in 2004 and was reelected in 2009. Pohamba was also the president of the SWAPO political party from 2007 until 2015. He is known for receiving the Ibrahim Prize for good leadership.

Before becoming president, Pohamba held several important jobs in the government. He was the Minister of Home Affairs from 1990 to 1995. He also served as the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources. Later, he became the Minister of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation.

Early Life and Education
Political Journey
Personal Life
Awards and Recognitions
- Foreign Honors
See also

Early Life and Education

Hifikepunye Pohamba was born on 18 August 1935. His birthplace was Okanghudi in South West Africa. This area is now part of the Ohangwena Region in Namibia. He went to primary school at the Anglican Holy Cross Mission school. In 1956, he started working at the Tsumeb mine.

Political Journey

Fighting for Freedom

Pohamba became active in the Ovamboland People's Organization. This group worked for the freedom of Namibia. In 1960, it became the SWAPO party. Pohamba was one of the first members of SWAPO. He left his job at the mine to work full-time for the party.

In 1961, Pohamba had to leave Namibia. He went to Dar es Salaam in Tanganyika (now Tanzania). There, he met Sam Nujoma, who would later become Namibia's first president. Pohamba was arrested in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) on his way back home. He was jailed and then sent to Johannesburg. After six months in jail, he was put under house arrest in Ovamboland.

Pohamba left Namibia again in 1964. He went to Lusaka to open SWAPO's office in Zambia. He tried to return to Namibia in 1966 with Sam Nujoma. However, they were sent back to Zambia the next day. Pohamba then moved back to Dar es Salaam.

In 1971, SWAPO sent Pohamba to Algeria. He became the party's main representative for northern Africa. In 1979, he became the chief of operations in Lusaka. He studied politics in the Soviet Union from 1981 to 1982. After his studies, he moved to Luanda, Angola. This was where SWAPO's main office was located at that time.

After Namibia's Independence

Pohamba led SWAPO's election campaign in 1989. He became a member of the group that wrote Namibia's constitution. In March 1990, when Namibia became independent, he joined the National Assembly.

He served as Minister of Home Affairs from 1990 to 1995. Then he was Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources from 1995 to 1997. From 1997 to 2000, he was a Minister without portfolio. This means he was a minister without a specific department.

In 1997, he was chosen as the secretary-general of SWAPO. In 2002, he became the party's vice-president. From 2001 to 2005, he was the Minister of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation. In this role, he worked on a policy to give land to landless black farmers. This policy helped speed up land distribution.

In November 2011, Pohamba also became the chancellor of the University of Namibia. He took over this role from Sam Nujoma.

Becoming President

Pohamba with United States President George W. Bush in June 2005.

SWAPO chose Pohamba as their candidate for the 2004 presidential election. He won the election on 15/16 November 2004 with 76.44% of the votes. Many people saw this as a huge victory. He became president on 21 March 2005. As president, he worked hard to fight against corruption.

There were rumors that Sam Nujoma, the first president, might try to run again. But Nujoma said in 2007 that he would step down as party leader. He wanted Pohamba to take over. On 29 November 2007, Pohamba was elected as SWAPO President. He was the only candidate. Nujoma said he was "passing the torch and mantle of leadership to comrade Pohamba."

Pohamba won a second term in the November 2009 presidential election. He received 76.42% of the votes. He could not run for re-election in 2014 because of term limits. Hage Geingob became his successor on 21 March 2015. A month later, Pohamba retired as president of SWAPO.

At the end of his time as president, he was very popular. People praised him for supporting gender equality. He also increased spending on housing and education.

Personal Life

Pohamba has been married to Penehupifo since 1983. They own a farm called Guinaspoh #41 near Otavi.

Awards and Recognitions

Pohamba has received many honors for his work and leadership:

He received the Omugulugwombashe Medal for Bravery and Long Service.
In 2011, the University of Namibia gave him an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy.
In 2015, he won the 2014 Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. This award came with $5 million.
On 29 April 2016, he received another honorary doctorate. This was from the University for Development Studies in Tamale, Ghana.