Oniipa

Oniipa is a town in the Oshikoto Region of northern Namibia and the district capital of the Oniipa electoral constituency. It lies just outside Ondangwa.^[2]

Oniipa
Town
Oniipa Location in Namibia
Coordinates: 17°55′00″S 16°02′00″E
Country	Namibia
Region	Oshikoto Region
Constituency	Oniipa
Area
• Total	5.6 sq mi (14.5 km2)
Elevation	3,524 ft (1,074 m)
Population  (2023 census)[1]
• Total	4,740
• Density	850/sq mi (330/km2)
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Climate	BSh

History

Oniipa was established in 1872 by the Finnish Missionary Society. In 2014 it became part of the settlement area combined with the nearby village of Onethindi. It was designated as a town in 2015.^[3]

The old church hospital, the Onandjokwe Lutheran Hospital, which was named after the first female nurse, is situated in Oniipa. Today, the hospital is managed by the Government of Namibia.

During the struggle and war for independence of the country, Evangelical Lutheran Ovambo-Kavango (ELOC) Printing Press is a printing shop^[4] that was burnt down by the Boers. It was established in 1901 by the Finnish Missionary Society.

Politics

Oniipa is governed by a Town council that has seven seats.^[5]

Oshikoto Region, to which Oniipa belongs, is a stronghold of Namibia's ruling SWAPO party. For the 2015 local authority election no opposition party nominated a candidate, and SWAPO won uncontested.^[6] SWAPO only narrowly won the 2020 local authority election. It obtained 733 votes and gained four seats. The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), an opposition party formed in August 2020, obtained 673 votes and gained three seats.^[7]

Notable people

• Michael Amushelelo (born 1991), social activist, politician and a businessman^[8]
• It is the hometown of former Lutheran bishop and liberation leader Leonard Auala.^[9]
• Jerry Ngwena ^[10]

Leadership

Heikky N Amwele is the Chief Exucutive Officer while Jafet Augustus serves as Mayor. ^[11]

See also

• Oniipa Training School