ELVIS NKANDU: THE MAN WHO MOVED KAPUTA

Some politicians win elections.

Some build political parties.

And a rare few actually change the political map.

Elvis Chishala Nkandu belongs to that third category.

Those of us whose work has taken us deep into rural Zambia, the fishing camps, border settlements and Northern hinterlands, know what Kaputa represented for the UPND not long ago.

Between 2006 and 2021, mentioning Hakainde Hichilema’s name in some parts of Kaputa wasn’t merely unpopular. It could be a health hazard.

This was PF territory. Stronghold territory. UPND-hostile territory.

And then came Elvis.

In 2021, the former Chisokone Market chairman won Kaputa for the UPND, defeating PF’s Maxas Ng’onga by 2,405 votes.

But winning Kaputa was only the beginning.

Elvis worked the ground. He stayed visible. He carried the UPND message into communities where it had once struggled to gain acceptance.

Then came 2026.

HH won Kaputa convincingly. Elvis retained his parliamentary seat. The UPND swept all 17 local government seats and retained the Council Chairperson position.

Kaputa didn’t just shift. It flipped.

That tells us something about Elvis.

He understands grassroots politics. He knows how to turn resistance into loyalty and political hostility into trust.

From Chisokone Market to Parliament, Cabinet and now Deputy UPND Spokesperson, his rise has been remarkable.

But in my view, Deputy Spokesperson is no longer big enough for Akatuntulu.

He deserves greater national responsibility in HH’s second term.

And beyond that, UPND should be thinking seriously about what comes after 2031.

If Elvis continues to demonstrate the political maturity, grassroots strength and national appeal he has shown in Kaputa, I would like to see him rise much further, even to the principal leadership of the party.

And if, in time, he proves he has what it takes to lead Zambia, why not?

HH once saw something in the man from Chisokone Market.