Various members of parliament are calling on the government to address concerns around inadequate housing and insufficient compensation for uniformed personnel, emphasizing the need to safeguard these professionals' well-being.

The parliamentarians contributed to a motion tabled by MP and leader of SWANU, Evalistus Kaaronda, regarding the employment conditions of uniformed personnel.

Affirmative Repositioning MP Esther Haikola emphasized that many uniformed personnel are more qualified than their stations would suggest.

She suggested the introduction of a winter allowance for security guards.

"As we all know, it's wintertime now, and we expect them to guard our properties at full capacity, and you know, they must give their all, but these people are very less compensated. So I propose that security should get winter allowances. So during winter, their salaries should be increased because of the conditions that they are working in."

AR MP Vaino Hangula stressed that junior police officers suffer under poor living conditions, in many cases relying on high-interest loans from loan sharks that end up trapping them in severe debt.

"Now we have police officers and NDF uniformed personnel living as far as Havana and in corrugated iron sheets. So I feel that it's very important that we relook as a government, as the parliamentary house, at what we can do to assist the Ministry of Home Affairs and the police officers where we can give them decent housing."

Meanwhile, Swapo MP Marius Sheya suggested the discussion be designated to the relevant standing committee to consider how best the well-being of uniformed workers can be addressed.

"It's quite a very sensitive issue we are discussing—the issue of the security cluster. I, for one, would support the motion, but in a manner that it was presented that it should be referred to the relevant committee to look at what the shortcomings are. What are the areas that we need to look at and strengthen as members of parliament and recommend maybe also to the implementers, which is the executive arm, to look into terms of our uniformed personnel."

AR Leader Job Amupanda highlighted a lack of deliberate support for all uniformed personnel, adding that the current Security Commission Act is insufficient to address national security issues.

"But what we don't have is some sort of organized way to be able to deal with the security cluster. Defence is on its own. Because you see, for example, defense has an insurance body. Yeah. But correctional services doesn't. Defence has a defense foundation. But the police doesn't have a police foundation."