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 leader of the Umbrella for Democratic Change since 2012.
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[ Independent Electoral Commission – Botswana National Assembly, 2014] and 2019.
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.
In 1987, Boko studied law at the University of Botswana. He was elected to the Student Representative Council (SRC). Among his law classmates were High Court judges Michael Leburu, Key Dingake, Bengbame Sechele and Lot Moroka. After graduating in 1993, he attended Harvard Law School, where he obtained a Master of Laws degree.
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.
The BNF came together with the newly formed Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), a splinter of the Botswana Democratic Party, and the Botswana Peoples Party to form the Umbrella for Democratic Change.
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. The current evidence is the 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.
The newly elected President of Botswana appointed
Lesego Chombo as the Minister of Youth and Gender Affairs.
Presidency
During his 2024 campaign, Boko pledged to diversify the country's economy away from resource extraction, and raise wages, students' allowances, and pensions.
As president, Boko stated his intention to granting temporary work and residence permits to undocumented Zimbabweans and renegotiate economic agreements with
De Beers regarding Botswana's diamond industry.
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.
On 25 August 2025, Boko declared a nationwide public health emergency due to the ongoing medical crisis caused by the shortages of medicine and supplies in hospitals caused by budget shortfalls and reduction of aid from the United States.
Publications
