Hichilema pledges university, road and hospital upgrades as campaign tour of East and West concludes

President Hakainde Hichilema has wound up back-to-back tours of Eastern and Western provinces with a raft of infrastructure and social development pledges, urging residents to hand the UPND a second term to see the commitments through.

In Eastern Province, the Head of State addressed rallies in Mambwe, Chipangali and Kasenengwa districts, telling crowds that nine provinces had already resolved to back the UPND on polling day. He framed the choice facing voters as one between consolidating the gains of the last five years and reverting to what he described as “dununa reverse.”

Hichilema announced that Eastern Province would receive its first public university during his second term, alongside a full-time skills training college in Mambwe aimed at Grade 12 leavers who would otherwise need to travel to Lusaka or the Copperbelt for tertiary opportunities.

“We will build you a public university here in Eastern Province so that your children no longer have to travel to Lusaka or the Copperbelt to study,” he told residents in Chipangali.

Beyond education, the President pledged to develop proper central business districts in the newly created Chipangali and Kasenengwa districts, expand mobile network coverage, and work on the Mfuwe-Chipata road, which he said remained in poor condition. He also committed to increasing the number of beneficiaries under the Farmer Input Support Programme and expanding social protection initiatives, including cash transfers and cash-for-work schemes, to cover more elderly citizens and single mothers.

Several political figures endorsed Hichilema’s candidature at the Eastern Province rallies, among them former Matero MP Miles Sampa, Resolute Party leader Martin Phiri, and former Agriculture Minister Professor Eustarckio Kazonga. UPND Malambo East parliamentary candidate Mike Mposha said the development recorded across the country demonstrated why the party deserved another mandate.

The President’s tour then moved to Western Province, where he visited Mulobezi, Sichili, Mwandi, Sesheke, Shangombo, Nalolo and Limulunga before concluding with a rally in Senanga. There, he pledged to prioritise upgrading the Senanga-Mataa Road and improving Senanga District Hospital, while announcing that each of Senanga’s two constituencies would receive K40 million annually under an expanded Constituency Development Fund.

Former Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane, who joined the President in Senanga, urged residents to vote for continuity to ensure ongoing development programmes were not interrupted. UPND National Youth Chairperson Gilbert Liswaniso said the Cash for Work programme would be implemented more equitably in a second term, alleging that beneficiaries under previous administrations had been selected unfairly.

Across both provinces, Hichilema repeatedly tied local development promises to national programmes already under way, citing the Free Education Policy, the expansion of the Constituency Development Fund, and the recent increase in the university student accommodation allowance from K3,900 to K5,850 as evidence of a government following through on its commitments.

The infrastructure pledges align with figures released separately by councils in the two provinces. In Sinazongwe, the Maamba-Batoka Road project has reached 53 percent completion, while in Kaoma, a K671,000 CDF-financed market shelter was commissioned in the same week, illustrating the kind of localised delivery the President pointed to on the campaign trail.

With polling day now just over a week away, the President’s back-to-back provincial tours mark the final phase of a campaign strategy built around pairing broad national achievements with hyper-local commitments, from university campuses to district hospitals, aimed at converting development delivery directly into votes.

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply

Hot this week

NRPUP alleges three bodyguards abducted at Lusaka airport August 4, 2026 0 NRPUP claims three members sent to Russia for security... Headlines

Mundubile says his manifesto puts youths and women at the centre of change August 4, 2026 1 Mundubile's manifesto defends record and readiness as he courts... General News

Government to continue working with traditional leaders August 4, 2026 2 Copperbelt Province Permanent Secretary, Lawrence Mwanza, has reaffirmed Government's... Feature Politics

President Hichilema underscores continued development August 4, 2026 0 President Hakainde Hichilema has underscored his government's resolve to... General News

President Hichilema accords Late Dr Zyuulu official funeral August 4, 2026 0 President Hakainde Hichilema has accorded an official funeral for...

Topics

NRPUP alleges three bodyguards abducted at Lusaka airport 0 NRPUP claims three members sent to Russia for security... Headlines

Mundubile says his manifesto puts youths and women at the centre of change 1 Mundubile's manifesto defends record and readiness as he courts... General News

Government to continue working with traditional leaders 2 Copperbelt Province Permanent Secretary, Lawrence Mwanza, has reaffirmed Government's... Feature Politics

President Hichilema underscores continued development 0 President Hakainde Hichilema has underscored his government's resolve to... General News

President Hichilema accords Late Dr Zyuulu official funeral 0 President Hakainde Hichilema has accorded an official funeral for... General News

98th agriculture show exhibited value- added products 0 Zambia Agriculture and Commercial Show Society, Vice President, Ishmael... Sports

Samukonga misses 400m defence 0 Team Zambia concluded its participation at the Glasgow 2026... General News

2026 Agriculture Show, exhibited innovation and technological products – Show goers 0 Show goers and exhibitors at the just-ended 98th Zambia...

Related Articles

NRPUP alleges three bodyguards abducted at Lusaka airport

Mundubile says his manifesto puts youths and women at the centre of change Headlines August 4, 2026

Mukandila: “What Is It That They Are Scared Of” – ECZ Under Fire

Kambwili urges ECZ to enforce campaign timetable evenly across all candidates

Chungu’s continued detention alarms MMD, Amnesty International

Popular Categories