Kenneth Nkhwa

Kenneth Moesi Nkhwa was born in 1927.[1] He completed his junior certificate at Tiger Kloof[2] before serving with the British Colonial Forces in Egypt during World War II, and he then attended Tiger Kloof in South Africa to complete his education in 1948.[1] He married Grace Ntombinkulu in 1958.[2]

Nkhwa joined the Bechuanaland People's Party in 1963, and he was made the party's South African Branch coordinator.[1] He was elected to represent the Tati West constituency (later the North-West constituency) in the 1965 general election, winning with 51.6% of the vote. It was the most competitive race of the election, and one of only two races with four candidates.[3] Nkhwa advocated a slower independence process following the election, citing risks of internal unrest.[4] As a member of the National Assembly of Botswana, Nkhwa supported welfare state policies such as providing school fees for children and distributing food rations during droughts.[1]

By the 1984 general election, Nkhwa was the only member of the Botswana People's Party in the National Assembly. He lost reelection in the 1989 general election by 351 votes.[5] After leaving the National Assembly, Nkhwa became the chairman of the North East District Council, where he remained until 1999.[1] The Thapama Interchange was named after Nkhwa in 2019. As of 2019, he was one of only two surviving members of the 1st Parliament of Botswana.[2]