🇿🇲 EXCLUSIVE | Hichilema’s Western Caravan Turns Campaign Into Memory Contest
President Hakainde Hichilema’s Western Province campaign gathered momentum on Friday as his political caravan swept through Nkeyema, Luampa and Kaoma, drawing large crowds and sharpening the central argument of the UPND’s re-election bid.
Across the three rallies, the President consistently framed the August 13 election as a choice between safeguarding recent gains and returning to what he described as Zambia’s troubled past.
The emotional centrepiece of the day’s campaign came in Kaoma, where Hichilema reminded supporters of the 2019 killing of UPND member Lawrence Banda during a parliamentary by-election.
Standing in the same district, the President said the visit had “brought back painful memories of a darker time in our politics — when our member, Lawrence Banda, was gunned down in cold blood. His only crime was belonging to a different political party.”
He urged voters to reject political violence, declaring: “We have come too far to go back. Today, we are in a better place as a nation.”
From Kaoma, the campaign shifted beyond memory to governance. Hichilema argued that the election is not simply about changing leaders but about deciding whether Zambia should continue along its current development path.
“On 13 August, Zambians face a clear choice: the Zambia we are building together or the Zambia we left behind in 2021,” the President later wrote.
He contrasted what he described as a country once burdened by debt, fear and cadreism with one now pursuing free education, economic recovery and social stability.
Agriculture also featured prominently in the President’s message, particularly in Luampa, where he commended farmers for contributing to the country’s bumper maize harvest.
“We thank our hardworking farmers in Luampa for responding positively to our policies and contributing to this year’s bumper harvest. Their dedication is helping to strengthen our nation’s food security and feed our nation,” he said. The remarks reinforced the UPND’s strategy of linking economic policy to visible outcomes in farming communities, where agriculture remains the backbone of household livelihoods.
The Western Province tour has unfolded against heightened political debate over development priorities following recent remarks by opposition figures questioning the need for major infrastructure projects in the province.
Without directly centring his speeches on the opposition controversy, Hichilema repeatedly assured supporters that development would continue reaching every part of Zambia, presenting Western Province as an integral pillar of the country’s future rather than its periphery.
Friday’s campaign revealed more than enthusiastic crowds. It revealed a carefully constructed electoral narrative. The President is asking voters to measure his first term against the country’s recent past, while making continuity the dominant message of his campaign.
Across Western Province, the UPND is not merely defending a political heartland. It is reinforcing the argument that peace, economic recovery and inclusive development should remain the defining themes of Zambia’s next chapter.
© The People’s Brief | Ollus R. Ndomu
Hichilema’s Western Caravan Turns Campaign Into Memory Contest
