Renthia Kaimbi
American YouTube star IShowSpeed has been forced to cancel his visit to Namibia after aviation authorities denied permits for his private flight and drone operations due to applications submitted mere hours before arrival.
The Namibia Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) confirmed the denial, saying there was no time to process the requests.
NCAA manager for stakeholder relations and communications Nelson Ashipala said in a media statement released yesterday that a foreign operator permit for a Kenyan-registered private aircraft scheduled to land in Namibia on 30 December 2025 could not be issued.
Ashipala said the application was received at 16h34 on 29 December 2025 for a flight intending to land at 03h00 the next morning, giving less than 11 hours’ notice.
“Given the extremely short notice, it was therefore not possible to finalise and issue the permit within the requested timeframe,” the statement reads.
He said the standard approval process can take up to 14 days and requires full documentation and coordination with several stakeholders.
The permit denial affected the “Speed Does Africa” tour, IShowSpeed’s 28-day live-streaming trip across about 20 African countries, which began in Angola on 28 December 2025. Namibia was scheduled as the second stop.
The content creator, whose real name is Darren Jason Watkins Jr, is known for live-streaming his travels and uses equipment such as mobile Starlink kits to broadcast in real time.
The visit to Namibia was further affected by issues related to drone use. The NCAA said no application was submitted for drone operations.
“On the issue of drones, no permit or application was submitted to the NCAA, so unfortunately, we could not allow for such an operation,” Ashipala said.
Namibia has strict drone regulations. Foreign nationals must apply at least 60 days in advance for recreational drone use and 120 days for commercial operations.
Additional approvals are required for flights near airfields or in restricted areas such as national parks.
The NCAA urged operators to familiarise themselves with Namibian airspace rules before planning activities in the country.
It is unclear whether IShowSpeed’s team will attempt to reschedule the Namibia visit later in the tour. The trip includes stops in Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt.
He has already visited Angola, South Africa and Eswatini and is currently in Botswana.
