Namibian President Geingob under fire for taking his four children to COP28 in Dubai

Namibian President Hage Geingob has faced criticism from the public after enlisting his four children among the travel delegation for the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.

Trouble started after a post by the Namibian Presidency on X, formerly Twitter, went viral on Monday confirming that the President's four children; Kayla Elago, Nino Kalondo, Dangos Geingos, and Nangula Geingob, were part of six family members travelling to Dubai.

Namibians took to the platform to chastise the Head of State for allegedly misusing public funds by sponsoring his children for the trip, yet their role at COP28 could not be explained.

"You guys really think we are dumb? Why would they be included in the delegates list if they aren't part of it? What is the relevance of them being in Dubai together with state delegates?" one such citizen stated on X.

"We anticipate a comprehensive report to be presented in [parliament]," Namibian politician Inna Hengari added.

Hengari faulted the State for funding the family of President Geingob despite earlier claiming it had no funds to sponsor an MP and Parliamentary official to the summit.

Following the public uproar, President Geingob's office took to X to clarify that his children’s trip was not State-funded, even though the statement did not give payment details.

"President Geingob and Madame Geingos (first lady) paid for the flights and accommodation expenses of their children," read the statement on Monday.

"The Namibian public and the media should be assured that not a single cent of public funds has been spent on the first couple's children."

This outrage in Namibia follows similar criticism against African governments for allegedly sending large delegations to COP28 which the public says are irrelevant in the summit.

In Kenya, concerns grew a report surfaced online reportedly showing that the government had sent 763 delegates to Dubai to attend the conference.

However, State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed later come out to clarify saying only 51 people were cleared by the State for the climate talks trip owing to austerity measures put in place.