WORKING ALONE AIKONA MANI!….HH reveals advise he gave Iris Kaingu to step down for long-time UPND loyalist By DAVID KANDUZA PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema has publicly withdrawn support for political convert Iris Kaingu’s parliamentary aspirations, revealing that she rejected direct presidential counsel to step aside for a long-term party loyalist. Speaking during a community interaction in […]

WORKING ALONE AIKONA MANI!
….HH reveals advise he gave Iris Kaingu to step down for long-time UPND loyalist

By DAVID KANDUZA
PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema has publicly withdrawn support for political convert Iris Kaingu’s parliamentary aspirations, revealing that she rejected direct presidential counsel to step aside for a long-term party loyalist.

Speaking during a community interaction in Mwandi Western Province, today July 30, 2026, President Hichilema disclosed that following Ms Kaingu’s recent high-profile defection from the Patriotic Front to the ruling UPND, he personally advised her to wait.

The President explained that the constituency already featured Sibeso Sefulo, a well-performing, established UPND candidate who had consistently served the party’s local vision.

According to President Hichilema, Ms Kaingu rejected his guidance and chose to bypass party structures by launching an independent campaign.

The President questioned her ability to deliver effective leadership from the opposition benches of independence, casting doubt on how an isolated lawmaker could navigate the legislative environment.

“How can she work in Parliament when she refused to heed presidential advice?” President Hichilema challenged the crowd.

Highlighting the futility of isolated political bids, the President firmly told residents, ‘Working alone aikona mani (it’s not acceptable. Impossible),’ explicitly discouraging Mwandi voters from casting their ballots for her.

The public rebuke signals a strict stance by the UPND leadership against internal rebellion and electoral opportunism by recent defectors.

By prioritising,’ lonng-time party candidates,’ the President sought to reassure loyal party structures that consistency and dedication would not be sidelined for political newcomers.

The move leaves Ms Kaingu fighting a dual-front political battle in Mwandi, facing the official UPND machinery she recently sought to join and her former allies in the opposition.