491 Views Attendance form distributed to Namwala headmen at UPND meeting raises electoral questions NAMWALA, July 11, 2026 – An attendance form reportedly distributed to headmen during a meeting held at Chief Nalubamba’s Chambers in Mbeza Ward of Namwala East Constituency has raised questions among some traditional leaders over the type of information that was […]

491 Views Attendance form distributed to Namwala headmen at UPND meeting raises electoral questions

NAMWALA, July 11, 2026 – An attendance form reportedly distributed to headmen during a meeting held at Chief Nalubamba’s Chambers in Mbeza Ward of Namwala East Constituency has raised questions among some traditional leaders over the type of information that was collected.

The meeting, held on Friday, July 10, 2026, was reportedly organised by officials from the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND).

One of the headmen who attended the meeting, Lawyer Shindombondo, told this publication that participants became concerned after being asked to complete what was described as a “Data Collection Tool.”

According to Headman Shindombondo, the form required attendees to provide personal and electoral details, including their names, National Registration Card (NRC) numbers, phone numbers, villages, wards, constituencies, chiefdoms, polling stations and voter’s card numbers.

“They brought a paper called a Data Collection Tool. I refused to sign it. Other details the form was asking for were name, ward and voter’s card number. The senior headman folded it and only wrote his name,” he said.

Shindombondo questioned why such information was being collected at what he described as an attendance meeting.

He further alleged that each headman received K200 as transport reimbursement, while their secretaries were each given K100.

Another traditional leader, Headman Shimulombela, confirmed attending the meeting and alleged that those present were encouraged to support UPND candidates, including President Hakainde Hichilema, in the forthcoming general election rather than independent candidates or other political parties.

According to sources, more than 70 headmen attended the meeting.

Sources further alleged that the meeting was attended by senior UPND officials, the Namwala District Commissioner and an officer identified as being from the Zambia Security Intelligence Service (ZSIS). Zambian Eye has not independently verified the attendance or official capacities of all individuals said to have been present.

The same sources also claimed that a similar meeting was held on the evening of July 9, 2026, at Bechim Lodge in Chitongo, where more than 100 headmen reportedly attended and were allegedly given transport refunds.

The reported meetings have prompted concerns from some stakeholders, who are calling for clarification on the purpose of collecting voter-related information and the source of the funds used for the transport reimbursements.

When contacted for comment, one of the alleged organisers, Fair Munsaka, declined to comment, saying there were more senior officials who were better placed to respond. Another alleged organiser, Martin Vlahakis, could not be reached as calls to his mobile phone went unanswered.

No official response had been received from the UPND, the Office of the District Commissioner or the Zambia Security Intelligence Service by the time of publication.

Some stakeholders have since appealed to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), Transparency International Zambia (TI-Zambia) and other election observer organisations to investigate the allegations and determine whether any provisions of Zambia’s electoral laws or campaign regulations were breached.

Should the relevant authorities issue responses or commence investigations, Zambian Eye will publish their position.