Autlwetse: A life of service, political storm :: Mmegi Online

The nation paused on the evening of Tuesday June, 3, 2025 as news made round that Kgotla Kenneth Autlwetse was late. Immediately the name is mentioned, one immediately thinks of his top oratory skills, especially when addressing in Setswana.

Also, who could forget his role as Minister for Local Government and Rural Development who stood against his Kgosikgolo Ian Khama and his tribesmen in favour of the then Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) regime. Autlwetse, who was a former councillor, stepped onto the national stage when he was elected as Member of Parliament for Serowe North East. That was after he defeated the then more prominent Member of Parliament (MP), Ramadeluka Seretse.

His biggest political job came in February 2022. After he lost elections in 2019, the president Mokgweetsi Masisi appointed him Minister of Local Government and Rural Development. The role placed Autlwetse at the centre of one of Botswana’s toughest tasks: improving livelihoods outside big towns and cities.

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