The Pan Afrikanist Watchman

The University of Botswana (UB), through its Okavango Research Institute (ORI), will on Saturday, 25 July 2026, host the Kengalogile Tombstone Unveiling Ceremony in Maun, paying tribute to the family’s pivotal role in the establishment and growth of the institute.

The commemorative event, scheduled for 06:00 hrs at ORI, will be officiated by the Minister of Higher Education, Hon. Prince Maele, who will deliver the keynote address.

UB says the ceremony is intended to celebrate the Kengalogile family’s enduring contribution to research, education, and community development in the Okavango region, while reaffirming the university’s commitment to preserving the partnerships that shaped ORI’s success.

According to a state media report, the late Mr Piet Rakeeku Kengalogile, born in 1880 and died in 1955, and Ms Yarubi Piet Kengalogile, born in 1870 and died in 1969, ceded their personal land for use by the government to establish a world-class research institute.

The gesture was a profound sacrifice with a direct positive bearing on the future of the entire nation. The Kengalogile family willingly availed more than 20 hectares of land, where the Okavango Research Institute now sits, a premier, fully -fledged research institution of the University of Botswana in Maun.

The University of Botswana’s website shows that the Okavango Research Institute (ORI) was established in 1994 in response to the need to understand the implications of the implementation of the Southern Okavango Integrated Water Development Project (SOIWDP).

The need for scientific information on the Okavango Delta ecosystem resulted in the Botswana Government establishing the ORI, formerly Harry Oppenheimer Okavango Research Centre (HOORC), under the auspices of the University of Botswana in 1994.

ORI is dedicated to the study of wetlands and adjacent drylands. The need for information and knowledge on the Okavango Delta was also mentioned by Vision 2016 of the Government of Botswana.

The Institute was established to promote multi-disciplinary research to make the University of Botswana a research-intensive University by 2021. To implement its research strategy, the University of Botswana has a policy for the establishment of Research Centres, Research Institutes and Centres of Excellence.

ORI has become Botswana’s flagship centre for environmental research and conservation. The institute focuses on generating scientific knowledge to guide sustainable management of the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It also trains postgraduate students in environmental sciences, having produced 47 graduates since 2009, including nine PhDs.

Over the years, ORI has achieved several milestones. In 2012, it played a decisive role in shaping the Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL), a multilateral platform addressing climate change across food security, water, biodiversity, forestry, and climate systems.

More recently, in 2026, ORI signed a landmark partnership with luxury safari operator &Beyond to advance conservation research, sustainable tourism, and community empowerment in the Delta.

The institute currently employs 62 staff members, including 26 academics, and collaborates with regional partners in Angola, Namibia, and the Okavango Commission (OKACOM) to manage the basin as a shared ecosystem.

UB’s Manager of Public Relations and Communications, Thomas T. Nkhoma, said the unveiling ceremony will not only honour the Kengalogile family’s legacy but also highlight ORI’s role in linking research with national development.

The event is expected to draw stakeholders from academia, government, and the conservation community.

ORI at a Glance

• Institute: Okavango Research Institute (ORI), University of Botswana
• Location: Maun, Botswana
• Focus Areas: Climate change, biodiversity, water security, sustainable tourism
• Graduates Produced: 47 (MPhil & PhD)
• Major Partnerships: SASSCAL (2012), &Beyond (2026)
• Staff Strength: 62 (academic + support)
• Global Recognition: UNESCO World Heritage-listed Okavango Delta research hub

(C) TPA2026 with additional sourcing from Daily News