Albert Kawana

Albert Kawana (born 26 March 1956) is a Namibian politician[1] who has served in the Cabinet of Namibia as Minister of Justice since 2015. A member of SWAPO, Kawana has been a member of the National Assembly and Cabinet since 2000, reaching the post of Minister for Presidential Affairs in March 2005. A lawyer by training, Kawana led Namibia's legal team in the Kasikili Island dispute, which was argued before the International Court of Justice before the court eventually sided with Botswana.[2]

Career in exile

Born at Katima Mulilo in Zambezi Region, Kawana entered into Namibian politics while in exile in Zambia. He graduated in 1979 from the United Nations Institute for Namibia (UNIN) with a diploma in Development Studies and Management. He moved onto the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, where he received his L.L.M. in 1983 and Ph.D. in 1988. Following graduation, Kawana moved back to Zambia, where he became a lecturer in the final years of UNIN from 1988 to 1990.[2]

Return from exile

Following Namibia's independence in March 1990, the Caprivian moved back to Namibia to become the first Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, where he worked until 2000. Chosen by SWAPO to the third National Assembly in 2000, he immediately was promoted to the position of Deputy Minister of Justice. Following the 2004 general election, Kawana was promoted to head the Justice Ministry, becoming the first Permanent Secretary to advance to the top post of a Ministry since independence.[2]

Kawana was included in President Hage Geingob's Cabinet, appointed in March 2015, as Minister of Justice.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Biography at parliament.gov.na
  2. 1 2 3 Albert Kawana Namibia Institute for Democracy, 2007
  3. ↑ "Geingob announces Cabinet", The Namibian, 20 March 2015.


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