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.