Leadership Movement Thanks Chawama Residents, Appoints Mutungwa to Lead Lusaka province

By Daily News Reporter

The Leadership Movement (LM) has appointed its former Chawama parliamentary by-election candidate, Mr. Nthazana Musukuma Mutungwa, as Lusaka Province Chairperson, assigning him the task of spearheading the formation of party structures and branches ahead of the August general elections.

The announcement was made during a community outreach event in Chawama, where the party distributed mealie meal and meat to residents in appreciation of the support it received in the recent by-election, where LM garnered about 100 votes.

LM President Dr. Richard Silumbe urged party leaders and members to remain united and intensify grassroots mobilisation, stressing the importance of building strong and functional structures to expand the party’s presence.

National Chairperson Mr. David Kalumba thanked Chawama residents for their support, noting that although the party recorded modest numbers in the by-election, it continues to establish structures nationwide. He added that lessons drawn from the Chawama contest would help strengthen LM’s performance ahead of the 2026 general elections.

And meanwhile Secretary General Mr. Jairos Ngoma encouraged residents not to lose faith in the party’s vision, which he said is anchored on production and self-reliance, particularly among the youth. He reiterated LM’s commitment to equipping young people with practical skills for entrepreneurship and pledged that, once in government, the party would empower citizens aspiring to own land by issuing title deeds.

In his acceptance remarks, Mr. Mutungwa thanked the party leadership for the confidence placed in him and pledged to strengthen LM’s footprint in Lusaka Province and beyond. He attributed the party’s modest performance in the by-election partly to voter apathy, noting that only about 18,000 voters turned up out of approximately 92,000 registered in Chawama.

“We have a huge chance of winning. If you look at the difference between those who voted and those who did not, the margin is very big,” Mr. Mutungwa said.

The Leadership Movement has vowed to intensify mobilisation efforts as it positions itself for the upcoming general elections, with its Lusaka Province leadership now under Mutungwa’s stewardship.