Duma Boko

Duma Gideon Boko (born 31 December 1969) is a Motswana politician and lawyer who is currently serving as the sixth president of Botswana since 1 November 2024 and as President of the Umbrella for Democratic Change since 2012. He served as Leader of the Opposition from 2014 to 2019.

Boko attained the presidency of the BNF in 2010. He led the creation of the Umbrella for Democratic Change, an alliance of the main opposition parties in Botswana. He ran as the alliance's president in Botswana's general elections in 2014 and 2019. At the 2024 election, he led his party to victory and was sworn in as President of Botswana on 1 November 2024. He is the first, and so far the only president in Botswana's history not to belong to the Botswana Democratic Party. Boko is considered a social democrat.

Early life Boko was born in Botswana's Central District, in the village of Mahalapye. His father, who died in 2004, worked as a lecturer at Madiba Brigades. He has a sister, Emma Boko.

Career Boko returned to teach law at University of Botswana from 1993 to 2003, while also running a law firm. In the early 2000s, he wrote a column in the newspaper The Monitor in which he claimed that judges were not intellectually progressive. He expressed frustration that academics and judges were not doing enough research to make informed judgements.

Politics Boko became the leader of the Botswana National Front (BNF) in 2010. His position and party membership was challenged on the grounds that when the BNF split in 2000, he had become a founding member of the National Democratic Front (NDF). If proven, this would, according to the BNF constitution, disqualify him from a leadership position in the party for three years after rejoining it. He prevailed in court. He inherited a party that was in decline under the leadership of Otsweletse Moupo. Some BNF members were strongly against the coalition, arguing that the exercise would make their party disappear. Lawsuits against Boko and his central committee were filed before the High Court. Boko and the BNF won all the court challenges.

2014 general election

In the 2014 general election, Boko led the UDC to a second-place finish in the National Assembly, winning 17 seats to the Botswana Democratic Party's (BDP) 37. Boko became the leader of the opposition.

2019 general election

In the 2019 general election, Boko was defeated by Anna Mokgethi of the BDP in the Gaborone Bonnington North constituency. As a result of his defeat, he lost his title of leader of the opposition in the 12th National Assembly. Boko claimed that during the 2019 general election, there was massive vote rigging and fraud by the BDP to favour President Mokgweetsi Masisi. He claimed that there was discontinuation of election ink and an excess of voter's registration cards.

2024 general election

Despite both the Botswana Congress Party and Botswana Patriotic Front leaving the UDC, Boko's party, and the opposition as a whole, were able to take a majority of seats in the elections while reducing the long-dominant BDP to a rump of four seats. As leader of the majority alliance in the legislature, Boko became the president-elect. He was sworn into office on 1 November, with a more public ceremony held on 8 November. Boko's ascent to the presidency marked the first time since 1966, when Botswana became independent, that a former opposition party has won an election.

Presidency

During his 2024 campaign, Boko pledged to diversify the country's economy away from resource extraction, and raise wages, students' allowances, and pensions.

In his first State of the Nation Address in November 2024, Boko said that his government would push for increased investment into solar energy, medicinal cannabis and industrial hemp. He also announced engagements with Elon Musk to extend affordable internet access nationwide through Starlink. In March 2025, Boko attended the launch of Botswana's first satellite, BOTSAT‑1, into space. The launch took place from SpaceX facilities in California, USA.

On 7 August 2025, Boko joined the Advisory Board of the Global Center on Adaptation. On 25 August 2025, Boko declared a nationwide public health emergency due to the 2025 medical crisis caused by the shortages of medicine and supplies in hospitals caused by budget shortfalls and reduction of aid from the United States. Following the crisis, Duma Boko stated that the country's healthcare system would see numerous reforms to prevent a similar crisis from happening in the future. Reforms included a restructuring of the national medicines procurement body, the expansion of public medicine, and the creation of a national health intelligence centre. Additionally, Boko stated that the African Continental Free Trade Area would help expand regional pharmaceutical industries.

Publications