UPCLOSE, PERSONAL WITH: MIRRIAM BANDA – DU VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
By TROY MUKUPA
LUSAKA – If the Democratic Union wins on August 13, Mirriam Lucia Banda, 36, will become the youngest Vice President Zambia has ever elected. She would replace Mama Inonge Wina, who was 73 when she became VP in 2015, and Her Honour Madam Mutale Nalumango, who is 71 today. But her story doesn’t start with titles. It starts at Chelston Clinic, February 3, 1990.
“I am Mirriam Banda, born at Chelston Clinic and raised by Mr. and Mrs. Banda in a humble Catholic home,” she says. “Service shaped me – from Choir member at Chelston Parish, to selling cosmetics in a pharmacy at Chelston Big Market, Lusaka.”
“When I finished Grade 12, my parents couldn’t afford university. So I went to work – first selling cosmetics in a pharmacy. That pain is why I’m in politics: no Zambian youth should have their future decided by the size of their parent’s wallet. Education must be a right, not a privilege.”
That door as a salesperson pushed her to open another. She traded maize in Sinda to pay for her own Computer Fundamentals course.
“After that certificate, I applied to Finance Bank Zambia’s youth training program. I was privileged to be selected, and that’s how I started at their Choma branch handling FRA payments. One opportunity changed my life – that’s what DU wants to create for more Zambian youth.”
While at the bank, in 2014 she married at Chelston Catholic. Today she and her husband are parents to 6 children – 4 singletons and a set of twins, the last-born.
From 2016 she stepped back to raise them and run small businesses in decor and online salaula.
“Budgeting under pressure, talking to ordinary Zambians, managing both a home and a contract – that’s what I bring to the VP office. As VP, I’ll use those same skills to track delivery so youth and women are not left behind.”
Asked: Why DU and not the others? Banda is direct:
“I joined DU at inception in Oct 2024 as a founding member because I was tired of insults, revenge politics, and the same faces recycling power. DU stands for healing, service, and neutral leadership. President Njobvu didn’t pick me because I’m a woman. Other parties had 10+, others 5+ years and graduates are still home. DU is offering SME capital, skills training, and a government that listens. That’s why I chose DU.”
She’s deliberate about the women before her: “Mama Inonge and Madam Nalumango opened the door. My job is to walk through it with results.”
On GBV: “As a mother of 6, I know silence kills. DU will push for stronger protection of victims – shelters that actually work, protection orders that are enforced, and police units trained to handle GBV with dignity. We also have to deal with the root causes: economic stress in the home, alcohol abuse, and the idea that a man owns a woman. You can’t heal Zambia if women are not safe in their own homes.”
On maternal health: “I gave birth in this system. We need drugs in clinics and ambulances that actually come.” On jobs: “A degree without work is frustration. DU will unlock startup capital for youth via CDF + private partners, not just handouts. Women and youth are 60%+ of voters. We are the majority.”
Asked: Critics say DU is too new. What do you say to voters who worry that a vote for DU might be a wasted vote? Banda doesn’t flinch:
“The real wasted vote is voting again for the same problems. DU is new in name, but our team has experience in business, banking, and managing homes. President Njobvu has built institutions. I have managed contracts, raised 6 children, and balanced a home and a business. We are not promising miracles in 100 days. We are promising honesty, healing, and a plan for jobs. If you want the same, vote the same. If you want change, vote DU on Aug 13. We are ready to govern on day 1.”
Her pitch to a 19-year-old in Kanyama: “Other parties will give you a T-shirt. DU will give you a chance – SME capital, skills training, and a government that listens. I’m Mirriam, a mother of 6. Ackim is our President. On Aug 13, vote DU.”
She closes the interview: “I am humbled that President Njobvu trusted me with this role. I do not take it lightly. I am ready to serve. President Njobvu is ready. And DU is ready to be the vehicle for real national development that works for the mother in Kanyama, the graduate in Choma, and the farmer in Msanzala.”