Former Botswana president Ian Khama says he has no intention of returning to active politics, insisting that his re-entry into the political arena in 2018 and subsequent participation in the 2024 election campaign were driven by circumstances rather than personal ambition.
Speaking in an interview on the Growth Well Podcast, hosted by author and entrepreneur Oabona Kgengwenyane, Khama said he had hoped to retire from politics after leaving the presidency but was compelled to return to defend himself against what he described as attacks directed at him.
“When I left the presidency, I said I’m done with politics. And then they came after me. And the only way to defend myself and get back at them was to go back into politics. And that’s what I did,” he said.
Khama, who left office in 2018 after serving as president for 10 years, said he believed his political involvement had now come to an end, having taken up his role in tribal administration.
“As I speak to you, as I look you in your eyes, I say I’m done. I’m done with politics. And let’s hope it will continue like that for real,” he said.
He, however, cautioned that he could be forced back into politics if circumstances demanded it, maintaining that such a decision would not be driven by personal ambition.
“If I do get forced to come back into it, it won’t be because of me, my desire. It will be because of circumstances,” he said.
Khama also reflected on his return to politics in 2018-19, saying he felt compelled to do so by the prevailing circumstances.Khama said his determination during the campaign was to remove the then government, which he accused of bringing the country “almost to its knees”.