04/08/2026
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ฝ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ช๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ต ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐
President Hakainde Hichilema has wrapped up a whirlwind tour of Eastern and Western provinces, rolling out a long list of development promises just over a week before voters head to the polls.
In Eastern Province, Hichilema told crowds in Mambwe, Chipangali and Kasenengwa that the region would finally get its own public university, meaning young people would no longer need to travel to Lusaka or the Copperbelt to pursue a degree. He paired that announcement with plans for a skills training college in Mambwe aimed at students finishing high school, plus commitments to improve mobile network coverage and fix the long-troubled Mfuwe-Chipata road.
Agriculture and social welfare also featured heavily. Hichilema promised to expand the Farmer Input Support Programme, which helps small-scale farmers access seed and fertilizer, and said cash transfer and cash-for-work programs would reach more elderly residents and single mothers going forward.
The tour picked up several high-profile endorsements along the way, including from former lawmaker Miles Sampa and Resolute Party leader Martin Phiri, who praised the President's commitment to national development.
From there, Hichilema's campaign moved into Western Province, stopping in Mulobezi, Sichili, Mwandi, Sesheke, Shangombo, Nalolo and Limulunga before wrapping up in Senanga. That's where he made some of his biggest local promises yet: upgrading the Senanga-Mataa Road, improving the district hospital, and boosting each of Senanga's two constituencies with 40 million kwacha a year in development funding.
Former Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane told residents that keeping the current government in place was the surest way to avoid delays to projects already underway. Meanwhile, UPND Youth Chairperson Gilbert Liswaniso promised a fairer rollout of the cash-for-work program in a potential second term.
Throughout the tour, Hichilema kept coming back to a consistent message: that national achievements like free education and higher university housing allowances prove his government follows through on what it promises. Whether voters buy that argument may well decide the outcome when they cast their ballots.
With campaigning now entering its final stretch, this two-province tour looks like the President's closing pitch, betting that specific, local promises will carry more weight with voters than broad economic talking points alone.