MY DEAR SISTER, IRIS KAINGU, LET FACTS SPEAK LOUDER THAN POLITICS
By McQueen zaza
I have listened to your video with keen interest. Every citizen has a constitutional right to express an opinion. However, opinions are not facts, and when public statements are divorced from reality, they deserve a factual response.
You have told the people of Zambia that there is no development in Mwandi Constituency. You claimed women still give birth in ox-carts, there is no clean water, children walk long distances to school, and that President Hakainde Hichilema attempted to bribe you to withdraw your candidature.
Those are serious allegations. Unfortunately, they collapse when confronted with the facts.
Let us begin with history.
Mwandi Constituency was represented by your own father, Dr. Michael Kaingu, from 2006 to 2016. If Mwandi has indeed been without clean water, quality health facilities, and adequate schools all these years, then the first question Zambians should ask is: What was achieved during those ten years when your own father represented the constituency as both Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister?
You cannot erase history simply because it is politically inconvenient.
Equally important, you maintained close ties with the Patriotic Front for many years. If the people of Mwandi meant so much to you then, why didn’t you use your influence and connections to lobby for schools, health centres, water projects, and other essential services? Leadership is demonstrated through action, not discovered during campaign season.
Now let us deal with the facts.
Between 2021 and 2026, under the leadership of Hon. Sibeso K. Sefulo and the UPND Government, Mwandi has witnessed real and measurable development.
A maternity annex has been constructed at Magumwi Health Centre.
Around 100 classroom blocks have been built.
Three rural health centres and health posts have been established.
Six water schemes have been installed at boarding schools.
Numerous other development projects have been delivered across the constituency.
These are not campaign slogans. They are tangible projects that can be seen and verified by every resident of Mwandi.
Facts will always defeat political propaganda.
You also alleged that President Hakainde Hichilema attempted to bribe you.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Like many aspiring candidates who were not adopted before nominations, you were offered an opportunity to be considered under the Proportional Representation system because you are a young woman. That is not bribery—it is a constitutional and legitimate pathway into Parliament.
A constitutional opportunity cannot honestly be described as a bribe simply because one chooses not to accept it.
If you genuinely believed you commanded overwhelming support in Mwandi, why did you first seek adoption on the UPND ticket instead of contesting as an independent candidate from the very beginning? No one compelled you to join UPND. That was your own political choice.
And let us be very clear: Mwandi Constituency is not a family inheritance. Parliamentary seats do not pass from parent to child. In a democracy, leadership is earned through the confidence of the people, not through lineage.
You have also compared yourself with Sunday Chanda, Thomas Sipalo and Kampamba Mulenga.
With respect, these are politicians who have established substantial political influence in their respective constituencies. Their political standing has been tested repeatedly by the electorate.
Political popularity is not measured by Facebook likes, Instagram followers or social media trends. Elections are won on the ground, in villages, wards and communities and not on timelines.
The people of Mwandi deserve leaders who unite rather than mislead; leaders who acknowledge progress while striving for even greater development; leaders who build confidence instead of manufacturing hopelessness.
Politics should never be about distorting facts for temporary headlines. It should be about honesty, humility and service.
The New Dawn Government has not claimed perfection. But it has delivered measurable results, and those results speak louder than political rhetoric.
To the people of Mwandi and the people of Zambia, I simply say this:
Do not be distracted by loud claims. Judge leaders by their record. Judge them by the schools they build, the hospitals they construct, the clean water they provide, the opportunities they create, and the promises they keep.
The facts are available.
The development is visible.
The future is brighter.
Facts don’t campaign—they speak for themselves.
Vote for HH and the UPND