From Jay Jay to Pauline: Sister Takes Over the Petauke Central Seat

16 ViewsThere is a remarkable family story behind the swearing-in of Lyaliwe Pauline Banda as the new Member of Parliament for Petauke Central. As she took the oath of office in Parliament on Monday, Pauline was not simply becoming one of Zambia’s newly elected MPs. She was stepping into a constituency that had been represented […]

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There is a remarkable family story behind the swearing-in of Lyaliwe Pauline Banda as the new Member of Parliament for Petauke Central.

As she took the oath of office in Parliament on Monday, Pauline was not simply becoming one of Zambia’s newly elected MPs.

She was stepping into a constituency that had been represented by her brother, Emmanuel “Jay Jay” Banda — one of the country’s most controversial political figures in recent years.

Pauline was among the MPs elected in the August 13, 2026 general election who took their seats in Parliament on Monday.

Her arrival brings the Banda name back to the Petauke Central parliamentary seat, less than two years after her brother’s turbulent departure from Parliament.

Jay Jay first contested Petauke Central in 2016 but lost to then Patriotic Front MP Dora Siliya.

Five years later, he returned as an independent candidate and pulled off a major upset, defeating Siliya in the 2021 general election and ending her long run as Petauke Central MP.

Siliya had represented the constituency since 2006, apart from a period when her 2011 election was nullified and she later returned through a 2015 by-election. She also served in several Cabinet positions.

Jay Jay’s time in Parliament, however, ended in dramatic circumstances.

In 2024, he was allegedly facing criminal charges and was being held under police guard at Chipata Central Hospital when he escaped from custody. He subsequently remained outside Zambia, while authorities pursued his case.

Parliament later moved to declare the Petauke Central seat vacant after finding that Banda had been absent from the House without permission. The vacancy eventually paved the way for a fresh contest in the constituency.

Banda subsequently resurfaced periodically on social media, particularly Facebook, where his livestreams attracted significant public attention and turned him into one of the most recognisable opposition voices operating from outside the country.

Now, with Jay Jay still outside Zambia, his sister has taken the political journey in a different direction.

Pauline contested the 2026 election under the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) and won the Petauke Central seat.

Her election means that the Banda family story in Petauke has entered a new chapter.

For residents of the constituency, the change is striking: the man who once held the seat is now abroad, while his sister has taken the oath to represent the same voters in the National Assembly.

It is a political transition that few constituencies could have scripted.

Jay Jay’s tenure was marked by controversy, legal battles, his dramatic disappearance and escape from custody, and his subsequent emergence as a highly active political voice on social media.

Pauline now faces a very different task — turning the family’s strong political presence in Petauke into parliamentary representation and delivering for the constituents who have entrusted her with the seat.

As she took her oath, the question was no longer about Jay Jay’s past.

It was about Pauline’s future — and whether she can build her own political identity while carrying one of the most recognisable political surnames in Petauke.

For the Banda family, the Petauke Central story continues.