UPCLOSE WITH CHRISTOPHER KANG’OMBE
LUSAKA, Saturday, November 13, 2021 (SMART EAGLES)
I have presidential ambitions and they are very strong, says Hon Christopher Kang’ombe, a man who has risen from being a Head Boy in High School to now a Member of Parliament.
The political journey for the Kamfinsa Constituency Lawmaker dates back to when he was around 17 at Kitwe Boys Secondary School. With the help of his English Teacher who he only identified as Mr Muyomba, the Lawmaker started taking part in public speaking, the move which led to him being appointed Head Boy in 2002.
He then successfully served as both Secretary General and President of the Copperbelt University Students Union in 2005 and 2006 respectively.
After being mentored in public speaking for a while, the 37-year-old member of the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) then saw the need for him to take an active role in politics.
He started from being a Councillor in Kitwe’s Riverside Ward, he then became a Mayor of Kitwe and he now represents the people of Kanfinsa in Parliament.
The youthful politician has like any other person faced numerous challenges in his political journey. Surprisingly, he has always been seen to emerge stronger after every obstacle he encounters along the way.
Even with his close friends telling him to quit and when it is seemingly clear that there is no reason to continue with the journey, quitting has never been an option for the Lawmaker.
Amongst the biggest challenges he has ever faced in his political life is trying to secure adoption, trying to be relevant in his political party as well as trying to be a voice.
“Imagine you are in a political party and you still have to rely on directions from your seniors. If your seniors don’t want you, it’s a challenge. But do you give up or do you continue offering yourself? So for me I have never given up because I would actually be creating a very bad precedence because even the young person will be intimidated,” he said.
He has however become more resolved after the challenges he’s faced, he has become more determined, more sure about his strengths and weaknesses and he is now able to asses which step to take.
Hon Kang’ombe has no regrets about how he has run his political race so far. He believes he would make the same decisions if he was to travel back in time.
He has been called stubborn by members of the party he is affiliated to but Hon Kang’ombe believes that he has never been stubborn. He says he has just been assertive.
“When you are assertive, you are convinced that what you are doing is right. You are actually convinced that this view point will actually help the bigger political party you belong to. So there is nothing I could have done better if presented with another opportunity or crisis,” he says.
Hon Kang’ombe believes he will at an appropriate time run for presidency.
He advises youths to take an active role in in politics if they want to be in the forefront. He believes that youths ought to make themselves available for leadership and that no one owes anyone a political position.
“So those who don’t offer themselves will not be given leadership positions…..sometimes leadership even starts at church level. If at church you have never offered yourself for leadership, you have never had any responsibility, how do you then assume bigger responsibility at a national scale? So my advice to the young people is that opportunities only come to those who prepare themselves,” he says.
Hon Kang’ombe is also the immediate past president of the Local Government Association of Zambia (LGAZ). Professionally, he has worked for Luanshya Copper Mines, Mopani Copper Mines and Atlas Copco between the period 2010 and 2016.
At a Continental level, he was privileged to serve as Vice president for the United Cities of Local Governments in Africa (UCLGA) until June 2021. In the rank and file of PF, he worked as both Kitwe District Chairman and later as Vice Provincial Chairman for Copperbelt.