Kuaima Riruako
Encyclopedia
Kuaima Riruako is a politician in Namibia
. Riruako is also the paramount chief
of the Herero and a National Unity Democratic Organisation
(NUDO) representative in Parliament, also called "Okahandja Herero" by some. He is the President of NUDO and was the NUDO candidate in the November 2004 presidential election, placing fourth with 4.23% of the national vote.
Riruako was born in Aminuis
, located in Omaheke Region, and he has been Paramount Chief of the Herero since 1978. As Okhandja Herero, Riruako has led an effort to receive compensation from the Government of Germany for the Herero massacre between 1904 and 1907 in the same manner that Jews
have received compensation for their Holocaust. Germany has continued to rule this out, but he has won a formal apology from the German government.
Riruako was a member of the Constitutional Council from 1986 to 1987 and was first elected to the National Assembly of Namibia
as a candidate of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) in 1994. In September 2003, NUDO withdrew from the DTA, with Riruako accusing the DTA of failing to work for Herero interests; Riruako became President of NUDO as an independent party on 18 September 2003, and he resigned from the National Assembly in the same month. He was subsequently elected as a NUDO candidate in the November 2004 parliamentary election
and has served for a second period in the National Assembly since 20 March 2005. In October 2009, NUDO again chose Riruako as their candidate for the 2009 Presidential election.
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
. Riruako is also the paramount chief
Paramount chief
A paramount chief is the highest-level traditional chief or political leader in a regional or local polity or country typically administered politically with a chief-based system. This definition is used occasionally in anthropological and archaeological theory to refer to the rulers of multiple...
of the Herero and a National Unity Democratic Organisation
National Unity Democratic Organisation
The National Unity Democratic Organisation is a political party in Namibia that is based among the Herero. NUDO was part of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance from the Turnhalle Constitutional Conference of the 1970s until it withdrew in September 2003, accusing the DTA of failing to work for...
(NUDO) representative in Parliament, also called "Okahandja Herero" by some. He is the President of NUDO and was the NUDO candidate in the November 2004 presidential election, placing fourth with 4.23% of the national vote.
Riruako was born in Aminuis
Aminuis
Aminuis is a settlement in the Omaheke Region of Namibia and the district capital of the Aminuis electoral constituency. It is the hometown of politicians Steve Mogotsi and Kuaima Riruako, and matron Hulda Shipanga....
, located in Omaheke Region, and he has been Paramount Chief of the Herero since 1978. As Okhandja Herero, Riruako has led an effort to receive compensation from the Government of Germany for the Herero massacre between 1904 and 1907 in the same manner that Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
have received compensation for their Holocaust. Germany has continued to rule this out, but he has won a formal apology from the German government.
Riruako was a member of the Constitutional Council from 1986 to 1987 and was first elected to the National Assembly of Namibia
National Assembly of Namibia
The National Assembly of Namibia is the lower chamber of the country's bicameral Parliament. It has a total of 78 members. 72 members are directly elected through a system of party-list proportional representation and serve five-year terms. Six additional members are appointed by the President.The...
as a candidate of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) in 1994. In September 2003, NUDO withdrew from the DTA, with Riruako accusing the DTA of failing to work for Herero interests; Riruako became President of NUDO as an independent party on 18 September 2003, and he resigned from the National Assembly in the same month. He was subsequently elected as a NUDO candidate in the November 2004 parliamentary election
Namibian parliamentary election, 2004
General elections were held in Namibia on 15 and 16 November 2004 to elect the President and National Assembly. The National Assembly election resulted in a landslide win for SWAPO, which won 55 of the 78 seats with over 75% of the vote. SWAPO's candidate for president, Hifikepunye Pohamba, won the...
and has served for a second period in the National Assembly since 20 March 2005. In October 2009, NUDO again chose Riruako as their candidate for the 2009 Presidential election.
2008 fire deaths
In November 2008, Riruako's home in Aminuis burnt to the ground, killing two of his grandchildren. An elderly woman was saved from the burning home by community members. Riruako was not home at the time of the fire.See also
- Herero: Recognition, denial and compensation