Vincent Mwale—one of the few former Cabinet ministers who left government with an unblemished reputation. Born on December 5, 1978, Vincent Mwale was first elected Member of Parliament for Chipangali Constituency on the MMD ticket in 2006 at the age of 28. A businessman by profession, Mwale holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Development Studies, an […]

Vincent Mwale—one of the few former Cabinet ministers who left government with an unblemished reputation.

Born on December 5, 1978, Vincent Mwale was first elected Member of Parliament for Chipangali Constituency on the MMD ticket in 2006 at the age of 28.

A businessman by profession, Mwale holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Development Studies, an Advanced Certificate in Project Management and Planning, and recently graduated with a Master’s Degree in Development Studies from the University of Zambia.

From 2006 to 2015, he spent most of his parliamentary career as a backbencher under the then-ruling MMD.

Following the 2011 general elections, losing PF candidate Lucas Phiri petitioned Mwale’s election as MP for Chipangali.

The constituency was among more than 60 electoral petitions filed before the High Court after the polls.

Mwale had won the election convincingly, polling 10,607 votes against Phiri’s 1,409.

The Lusaka High Court ruled that Mwale had been duly elected, prompting Phiri to appeal to the Supreme Court. In February 2015, the Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s decision, with then Acting Deputy Chief Justice Marvin Mwanamwambwa dismissing six of the seven grounds of appeal raised by Phiri.

During his first parliamentary term (2006–2011), Mwale served on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), then chaired by Luena Independent MP Charles Milupi before he resigned to contest the Luena seat under his newly formed Alliance for Democracy and Development (ADD).

The Public Accounts Committee is one of the National Assembly’s most important oversight committees.

It scrutinizes reports of the Auditor General to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of public funds, and regularly summons controlling officers, including Permanent Secretaries, to explain cases of financial mismanagement.

The committee consists of nine members appointed at the beginning of each parliamentary session, with a quorum of four.

Following the 2011 general elections, Mwale became Chairperson of the PAC, a position to which he was re-elected in September 2014.

It was during this period that I worked closely with him while covering PAC proceedings.

Mwale enjoys his cold steins. During the PAC sittings, while we were all nursing our respective HOs, myself & the late Zambia Daily Mail reporter Teddy Kuyela would compete with him in furiously gulping the taxpayers funded bottled mineral water—yes, the same water that Speaker Nelly Mutti recently questioned some MPs about, asking whether they were taking it home for resale or actually drinking it.

Mwale is not only an avid football fan but also a very good player. Back in the days when I used to travel to Chililabombwe to watch Chipolopolo matches because Konkola Stadium was the only venue that met FIFA standards, he was a familiar face at those games.

I was therefore genuinely happy for him in February 2015 when President Edgar Lungu appointed him Minister of Youth and Sport. It was his first ministerial appointment, having previously been overlooked by both Presidents Levy Mwanawasa and Rupiah Banda.

Interestingly, Mwale was still an MMD member at the time of his appointment, although the PF and the MMD—largely through Rupiah Banda—were working in political cooperation.

In the 2016 general elections, Mwale successfully retained the Chipangali seat on the PF ticket after polling 14,842 votes against UPND candidate Champion Tembo, who received 3,914 votes.

He was subsequently appointed Minister of Local Government and Housing in September 2016 before being transferred to the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure Development in July 2019, a position he held until the PF left office in 2021.

Ahead of the 2021 general elections, Mwale was overlooked for adoption in Chipangali after the PF adopted Andrew Lubusha instead.

He is now seeking a return to Parliament after filing his nomination papers as an independent candidate for the newly created Chipangali West Constituency.

I wish him all the best as he attempts to make his way back to Manda Hill.