| Katima Mulilo Rural | |
| Region: | Zambezi Region |
| Population: | 24016[1] |
| Towns: | Bukalo |
| Area: | 1,620 km² |
Katima Mulilo Rural is one of the eight constituencies in Namibia's Zambezi Region. Its administrative centre is located in Bukalo. The constituency has a population of 24,016, an area of 1,620 square kilometres and a population density of 14.82 per square kilometre, making it the fourth largest constituency in the region. Approximately 10 per cent of the constituency is prone to flooding every year.[2]
=Constituency Profile=The constituency borders four other constituencies: Katima Mulilo Urban to the west, Sibbinda to the southwest, and Kabbe North and South to the northeast. It also borders Botswana to the south. The Bukalo Village Council and Munitenge Royal Establishment (headquarters of the Subia people) is located at Bukalo village, the administrative centre of the constituency, with Mafuta and Ngoma designated as growth points.
There is one health centre and three clinics within the constituency: Bukalo Health Centre, Ngoma Clinic, Muyako Clinic, and Ibbu Clinic.
The constituency has nineteen primary schools, twelve combined schools, two secondary schools, one technical school, and one community library.
Katima Mulilo Rural was created in 1998. Following a recommendation of the Second Delimitation Commission of Namibia, and in preparation for the 1998 general election, the old Katima Mulilo Constituency was split into Katima Mulilo Urban and Katima Mulilo Rural.[3]
In the 2004 regional election SWAPO candidate Leonard Mwilima received 2,709 of the 3,677 votes cast.[4]
The 2015 regional election was won by Wardens Matengu Simushi (SWAPO) with 1,662 votes, followed by Daniel Sinyemba Sankwasa of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) with 182 votes and Annaberia Nswahu Maswahu of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) with 149 votes.[5] Simushi was reelected in the 2020 regional election, obtaining 1,290 votes and he serves as the Katima Mulilo Rural Constituency Councillor. The opposition candidates Sankwasa, now Popular Democratic Movement (PDM, the new name of the DTA), and Innocent Mahoto from the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC, an opposition party formed in August 2020) received 352 and 303 votes, respectively.[2]
In the 2004 presidential election, Katima Mulilo Rural voted overwhelmingly for Hifikepunye Pohamba (SWAPO). Pohamba won with 3776 (72%) votes, followed by Ben Ulenga of the Congress of Democrats, who received 480 (9%) votes, Henk Mudge of the Republican Party who received 466 (9%) votes and Katuutire Kaura of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance, who received 386 (7.5%) votes.[6]