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Oshakati is a town of 30,000 inhabitants in the Oshana Region of Namibia. It is the regional capital and was officially founded in July 1966. The city was used as a base of operations by the South African Defence Force (SADF) during the South African Border War and Namibian War of Independence. Oshakati is considered to be the largest town and capital of the northern area known as Ovamboland.

Oshakati contains the electoral constituencies of Oshakati East and Oshakati West.

History
In Oshiwambo, the language of the Ovambo, the town's name means "that which is in between", although some believe that the name (Oshakati, also Otjakati) was used to refer to the Tower, tallest freestanding structure downtown. Oshakati is Namibia's second largest city and it is located near the B1, Namibia's main highway, which stretches from South Africa through the capital Windhoek and on to the Angolan border. The Oshakati town, (popularly known as 'Otjakati tja Nangombe' by the native Kwambi people) is within the Kwambi traditional authority.

On the 19th February 1988, a bomb blast occurred in Oshakati at the current First National Bank which used to be the old Oshakati Barclays Bank at about 13h00, killing 28 people including a four month old baby and badly injuring nearly 30 others, most of them nurses and teachers. No one was ever officially convicted of the bombing and the issue was dropped upon independence in 1990 in favour of national reconciliation.

The Oshakati bomb blast was one of the most terrible and unforgettable internal massacres in Namibia.

Reverent Eino Ammambo, one of the Oshakati bomb survival described the event as shoking and inhumane. Among the dead is the wife of the ELCIN Western Circuit, Dean Reverent Josafat Shanghala.

The following is the list of the victims killed in the bomb blast:

Abraham Neind;Beata Sheetekela;Elifas Tutaleni;Evelina Hamakali;Festus Shaduka;Fiina Shigewdha;Frieda Asser;Iyaloo Shikongo;Frieda Shikongo;Kristofina Jacob;Messag Shakumu;Rakkel Shapata;Paulina Amukwaya;Selma Ndjona;Sirka Hailonga;Silia Amaambo;Tulikemanya Shikomba;Lahja Shilongo;Amalia Els;Ndamono Shanghala;Samuel Kustaa;Hilda Simon;Johanna Onesmus;Mwadhina Shikondombolo;Simon Kamati;Fiina Shannika;Saara Ashimana;Helena Amakali

Development and infrastructure
Oshakati has experienced much development since Namibia achieved independence on March 21, 1990. In April 2006, the Oshakati Town Council building was inaugurated by Botswana's President Festus Mogae.

Oshakati has a football team, Oshakati City FC.

In Oshakati there are many primary and secondary schools like Iipumbu Senior Secondary School, Oshakati Secondary School, OShakati Junior Primary School, Evululuko Combined School, Erundu Secondary School [Erundu Secondary School]], Kabatana Private School and others, including Afoti Combined School in Uuvudhiya constituency in Oshana Regionin  the  Omapopo cluster of Oshakati Circuit.

There are also many shops and stores like Jet, Mr Price etc. apart from that there are also furniture stores, shoes stores e.g. Mandoza. Recently more advanced shops have opened up such as Woolworths, Clicks, Edgars, Foschini, Truworths, and Fashion Express to mention a few. There were three main shopping centres: Game, Etango, and Yetu but there are two new bigger malls that are in the final construction stages namely Oshana Regional Mall and Maroela Mall

There is also Oshakati Independence Stadium and UNAM Oshakati Campus.

Climate
Oshakati has a semi-arid climate (BSh, according to the Köppen climate classification), with hot summers and relatively mild winters (with warm days and cool nights). The average annual precipitation is 472 mm, with most rainfall occurring mainly during summer.

Notable residents

 * Gazza a kwaito musician
 * Tara Katupose and Muna Katupose, soccer-playing twins
 * Craig Williams (1984-), cricketer