Mamonaheng Mokitimi

Mamonaheng Mokitimi (born 20 January 1970) is a Mosotho politician who has served as President of the Senate of Lesotho since 2017. She is the first woman to serve as President and Vice President of the Senate.

Mamonaheng Mokitimi was born in Morija, Lesotho,^[1] on 20 January 1970,^[2] alongside a twin. She graduated from the National University of Lesotho with a bachelor of arts degree in 1996, and a postgraduate certificate in education in 1997.^[1]

Mokitimi worked as a teacher at Methodist High School. In 1999, Mokitimi became the principal interpreter for the Senate of Lesotho and was promoted to clerk assistant before her resignation in 2012. She was a HIV/AIDS coordinator during her time as clerk assistant.^[1]

In 2012, she was elected as Vice President of the Senate, the first woman to hold the position. On 11 July 2017, she was elected as President of the Senate, becoming the first woman to hold the position, and was reelected on 3 November 2022.^[1][2] In 2018, she stated that she wanted the Senate to have its own parliamentary service rather than using the Ministry of Public Service, criticised the poor relations between senators and staffers, and noted the lack of cordial relations between the Senate and National Assembly.^[3]

On 17 January 2019, Mokitimi filed a libel suit against five principal chiefs and a senior senate official seeking M25,000. Mota Nkuatsana, one of the six charged, accused Mokitimi of having committed financial misconduct as assistant clerk. The lawsuit was withdrawn on 21 May, and Mokitimi paid the legal fees.^[4]