UPND adopts Tayengwa for Kabwata

THE ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) has adopted Andrew Tayengwa, to contest the Kabwata Constituency by-election slated for January 20, 2022, pitting him against Patriotic Front’s Clement Tembo.

UPND Chairman of Elections, Gary Nkombo announced the adoption of Mr Tayengwa at a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday.

Mr Nkombo, who is also Minister of Local Government and Rural Development explained that Mr Tayengwa’s adoption was based on the primary election held at party level in which he emerged winner with 103 votes. Thirteen people had applied to contest for the seat.

Meanwhile, UPND Lusaka Province youth chairperson Anderson Banda said the party was not intimidated by the big names being filed in by their contenders in the Kabwata by- election because the election had nothing to do with individual strength but the message and the platform an individual was standing on.

Mr Banda said the Kabwata by-election would be a walk over for the UPND because its message was still fresh in people’s heads and President HakaindeHichilema had already set a tone of the things he wanted to do starting next year.

“We are confident and going to win very easily because we have done our ground work,” he said.

He said that the people of Kabwata still had trust in the UPND and they were going to love and rally behind the new candidate the same way they did with the late Levy Mkandawire.

Mr Banda said the things that the UPND had achieved in the few months that they had been in power would campaign for them.

The Electoral Commission of Zambia set January 20, 2022 as the date on which to hold the Kabwata Parliamentary by-election

The by-election follows the death of UPND Member of Parliament, Mr Mkandawire.