HIGH POVERTY LEVELS IN MUCHINGA PROVINCE WORRIES M’MEMBE
….the province is ranked as the poorest province in the country
Shiwang’andu District… Thursday January 18, 2024 (SMART EAGLES)
Socialist Party President Dr. Fred M’membe has expressed concern over the high poverty levels in Muchinga Province saying it is saddening that the province has the highest proportion of the population that is poor at 82.6 percent.
According to the poverty assessment in Zambia report conducted by the Zambia Statistics Agency (ZamStats) together with its partners indicated that Muchinga province has the highest proportion of the population that is poor at 82.6 percent, followed by Western and Northern provinces.
Dr. M’membe says these statistics are worrying to leaders who mean well for the people.
Dr. M’membe said this when he together with Shiwang’andu Constituency PF Member of Parliament Hon Stephen Kampyongo campaigned for PF and Socialist Party candidates for Mayembe ward by election at Lukaka and Chilombo villages in Shiwang’andu district today.
The two political parties have decided to work together in liberating the people from what they have termed as ‘total sufferings under the UPND administration’.
“Today, we are embarrassed as the people of Muchinga Province because poverty levels have risen in the two years of UPND in office. We (Muchinga Province) are on top of the list as the poorest province in the country followed by Western and Northern Province is in the third position. Before UPND came into office, the poverty levels in the province stood at 69.3 percent, we were number five. In the last two and half years, we have moved from number five to one. On number three we have Northern Province with 78 percent. We need to liberate ourselves from this embarrassing statistics,” he said.
“If you look at the top the in terms of having high poverty levels in the country, Muchinga is on top, followed by Western, in the third position there is Northern, fourth is Luapula and on the firth is Eastern Province. Very few people will respect the poor people.”
He said it is disheartening that the UPND can think of going to Mayembe ward in Shiwang’andu district, of Muchinga Province with the highest poverty levels in the country and start lining up the people and giving them handouts.
Dr M’membe informed the people that the UPND does not love the people of Mayembe just because they are giving them money, food and other materials saying they are doing so because of the pending by-election.
And Hon Kampyongo said the UPND are panicking after seeing that the PF and Socialist Party are working together during campaigns.
“You can see that they are in panic mode. They are now busy dishing out money and material things because they want to win this by-election. They don’t have a proper message to tell the people because they have messed up all sectors. Up to now, you have not received the full packages under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), so what can they tell you about fertilizer and seeds? This is why they are even engaging in acts of violence because they have sensed that they are loosing this by-election,” he said.
Meanwhile, the UPND tried to provoke the opposition convoy as the two leaders in the company of their structures and supporters were moving from Lukaka to Chilombo where they were expected to have a meeting.
The UPND were armed with offensive weapons and were freely using them to threaten their opponents but the two leaders informed their supporters not to fight back.
Out of shame, the UPND proceeded in the direction of Kankolo.
The PF Mayembe ward candidate Morgan Malama and his Socialist Party counterpart Wigan Mubanga were present during the meetings.
Absolute piffle by Fred M’membe and Stephen Kampyongo. They both know the whole story of poverty in Zambia.
Fuledi mmembe your uncle SATA failed to deliver in his province and you never thought of dropping your useless article.You are another chief tribalist fuledi mmembe panyo pamako
Instead of encouraging the people of Muchinga to work hard and take themselves out of poverty, you are worried but still doing nothing. Has the poverty in Muchinga come in the last two years? Can poverty end on its own? It is not always the government, people also have a big role to play in ending their poverty. Actually, I t’s not only in Muchinga but in other Provinces as well, especially those which were favored by the ruling parties. Those people were spoiled by politicians like you who used to give them free money and free food even in good seasons and you want the UPND to continue doing the same. For example, there is a big difference between Muchinga and provinces like Northwestern or Southern where people were being neglected and left to fend for themselves. Go to Kasempa, Dundumwezi and see the tonnage of maize production there, you will be shocked and probably collapse instead of getting worried. How do you expect people to alleviate poverty without working hard? Are you not even ashamed to talk of poverty almost 60 years after independence? Actually to neglect people was a blessing in disguise because those who were neglected are better off than those who were being favored. I hear Shiwang’andu is one of the districts in the country which is underutilizing CDF and if it’s true, how can poverty end in such a place? Go to neighboring Kanchibiya, things are different there because people have decided to put politics aside and are focusing on development. Playing politics at the expense of development comes with a very high price, the sooner you realize that, the better. Under the ND government, the political soil is very fertile for development and people can do a lot to improve their lives and say bye to poverty.