President Hakainde Hichilema has urged supporters across Western Province not to assume his re-election is assured, telling them that turnout on 13 August, rather than the size of campaign crowds, will determine whether the United Party for National Development (UPND) secures another mandate.
Concluding a tour of Mitete, Sikongo, Kalabo and Mongu, the Head of State combined a call for voter mobilisation with a defence of his government’s development record, arguing that continued investment in infrastructure, education and rural services offered a stronger case for re-election than campaign promises alone.
“Sichaba sa Mongu, thank you for turning out in countless numbers today. Now go and vote for us in the August election,” he told supporters in Mongu, where crowds filled the rally grounds hours before his arrival.
Throughout the campaign swing, President Hichilema presented the election as a choice between maintaining the country’s current direction and returning to leaders he accused of undermining state institutions during their time in office.
“This is not the time to go back to those who were brutal to citizens,” he said. “This is not the time to go back to those who disrespected State institutions, including the security wings, by using unruly thugs who with impunity even wore military attire.”
He also urged voters to reject political groupings he said had eroded citizens’ rights and left Zambia burdened with debt, saying his administration had since worked to restore economic stability and put the country’s finances back on course.
In Mitete, the President said neither opposition nor independent candidates should win the constituency and dismissed suggestions that he backed candidates outside the ruling party. He also sought to ease concerns among UPND members who were not adopted as parliamentary candidates, assuring them they would continue serving the party in other capacities after the election, with some already appointed as campaign managers.
“No independent or opposition candidate should mislead you that I support them. I cannot abandon my party’s candidates,” he said.
President Hichilema also announced that mobile network coverage would soon be extended to Mitete, adding that electricity had already reached the area as government continued expanding essential infrastructure in rural communities.
Education remained a recurring theme throughout the tour. Defending the free education policy introduced by his administration, the President said the law protecting the programme would remain in place because every Zambian child deserves access to schooling.
“Backward never, forward forever,” he said. “No one will change the free education law because all children should access education.”
In Sikongo, President Hichilema said rural development would remain central to government’s agenda, pointing to investments in borehole drilling, rural electrification and road construction as evidence that development was reaching areas long left behind.
He identified the planned Kalabo-Sikongo Road as one of the province’s key infrastructure projects, describing it as an economic corridor rather than simply a transport link.
“The Kalabo-Sikongo Road is not just a road project, it is an economic corridor that will connect our people to markets and create opportunities,” he said, adding that the route would also strengthen cross-border trade with Angola.
Supporters in Kalabo gathered hours before the President’s arrival, chanting “Forward! Forward!” as they awaited the rally. Addressing the meeting, he said the election would determine whether Zambia continued along its current development path or reversed the gains made in recent years.
“We cannot afford to go backwards after achieving all these gains,” he said.
He again appealed for unity within the ruling party, encouraging members who had not secured adoption to support those chosen to contest on the UPND ticket and to place the party’s broader objectives above individual ambitions.
The tour’s biggest announcement came in Mongu, where President Hichilema confirmed that construction of an international airport for Western Province would begin next year. He said families relocated to make way for the project had already been compensated before dismissing criticism from the opposition over the planned investment.
“Go and tell those in the opposition that we will build an international standard airport in Mongu. We have started in other provinces. What is wrong with having an airport here?” he said.
The President said Western Province’s potential in timber, agriculture and tourism justified continued infrastructure investment, adding that government also intended to establish universities in the region to expand access to higher education.
“We care about Zambia tomorrow. That is why we have introduced policies like free education,” he said.
UPND Alliance chairperson Charles Milupi said road construction, improved public services and growing economic activity reflected government’s commitment to transforming livelihoods across Western Province.
Traditional leaders also welcomed the projects being implemented in their communities. Speaking on behalf of Chief Kahare in Nkeyema District, sub-chief Mangongo said the Constituency Development Fund had helped deliver schools, classrooms, health facilities and roads to an area that had for many years lagged behind in development.
“We want the people of Nkeyema to vote for the President, the member of parliament, the council chairperson and councillors on the UPND ticket. How will he work if people vote differently?” sub-chief Mangongo asked.
Ending the Western Province campaign tour, President Hichilema returned to the message that shaped every stop along the route: large crowds alone would not decide the election. He urged supporters to translate their attendance at rallies into votes on polling day, saying continued public participation would determine whether government carried its development programme beyond the August 13 election.
