He was born in Chertsey, Surrey, while his father was living in exile in the United Kingdom, due to the opposition by the colonial government and the emergent apartheid regime in South Africa to his marriage to a white woman.

[4] He is also the grandson of Sekgoma II (1869–1925), who was the paramount chief of the Bamangwato people, and the great-grandson of Khama III (1837–1923), their king.

[5] Ian Khama was educated at Waterford Kamhlaba, a United World College in Mbabane,[6] and at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

[12] By these actions, he effectively renounced his hitherto unclaimed hereditary chieftaincy, as the constitutional monarchs of modern Botswana are legally barred from actively taking part in party politics.

[13] Following the victory of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in the general election of October 1999, Khama remained vice-president as well as Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration.

[31] President Khama first articulated his desire to impose a 70% alcohol levy,[32] meant to combat the problem of excessive drinking in Botswana.

[43] Motswaledi lost a lawsuit against Khama when the High Court ruled that the president enjoyed constitutional immunity from litigation by virtue of his position.

[45] Others, including Khama and his legal representation, said that he was simply instilling discipline as part of his role as the head of the party.

[49] The police statement on Kalifatis reads: "The deceased, John Kalafatis, had a warrant of arrest issued against him on 12 January 2009 for armed robbery among others.

[62] He did so by refusing to recognize the government unless and until it included members of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) headed by Morgan Tsvangirai.

[65] Khama has been criticized by some figures for making poor decisions, including by former president Quett Masire, who claimed that the BDP had been taken over by opportunists looking to benefit from senior government positions.

[66] Under Khama, the government has also established the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DISS) with police powers, which is seen as the Botswana equivalent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States.

Although this type of organization is not new and is found in many countries, it has critics in Botswana who charge that there are very few domestic or transnational threats that the police and the military could not handle.

Some, including executive director of the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, Siphosami Malunga, have argued that the institution, initially headed by President Khama's close friend Issac Kgosi, could easily be manipulated and used against political enemies or others who criticize the President or his administration.

[67] On the economic front, Khama has been a vocal proponent of moving Botswana away from its over-reliance on diamonds and diversifying its economy, especially to the agriculture and tourism sector.

[68] Khama put in place a ban on elephant hunting during his time as president, and supported conservation efforts in Botswana.

He gave an interview with the Yonhap News Agency during his visit to Seoul, South Korea in 2015, criticizing the North's leaders for 'living in the Stone Age' and called their aggressive actions unacceptable.

[74] In 2018, after resigning from the presidency, Khama became a member of the Board of Directors of the US-based organization Conservation International, which is also active in Botswana.

[77] On 13 September 2024, Ian Khama returned to Botswana after three years in exile, to appear in court and request to be released pending trial.

[80] On 20 January 2025, Khama was sworn in as a member of the Ntlo ya Dikgosi, the advisory body of hereditary chiefs advising Parliament.