Hichilema takes 2026 campaign to North-Western Province

SOLWEZI — President Hakainde Hichilema is pressing an economic record and warning voters off independent candidates as the UPND re-election campaign reaches North-Western Province.

The visit puts a copper-belt swing region at the centre of the contest six weeks before polling day. President Hichilema is asking a province tied to mining and the planned Lobito Corridor to reward four years in office. The stops also test whether the UPND can hold ground against candidates standing outside the main parties.

President Hichilema held the engagements on 1 July 2026, part of a campaign swing ahead of the 13 August 2026 general election, the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) said. The government framed both Mwinilunga and Solwezi as community engagements rather than mass rallies. The visit followed the President's re-election launch, covered in Kwacha News's report on Hichilema's 2026 re-election bid.

In Mwinilunga the President said the Lobito Corridor project will create employment opportunities in North-Western Province once it is actualised, according to a ZANIS report on the Mwinilunga engagement, 1 July 2026. President Hichilema also said contracts for the Mutanda-Mwinilunga road will be signed soon. The government said 1.6 million people have been placed on the Social Cash Transfer as beneficiaries.

President Hichilema used the Mwinilunga stop to press supporters over the ballot. According to ZANIS, the President urged voters not to back independent candidates, alleging the opposition wants to use such candidates to take away votes from the UPND. The appeal ran alongside the President's pitch on jobs and roads.

In Solwezi the President said the government has scored many achievements in the last four years, according to a ZANIS report on the Solwezi engagement, 1 July 2026. President Hichilema also outlined university and teaching-hospital plans for the district, the subject of a separate health story. UNIP's Henry Miyoba commended the President at the Solwezi stop, ZANIS said.

I am calling on the people of Mwinilunga district not to vote for independent candidates because the opposition wants to use independent candidates to take away votes from the ruling party.

— President Hakainde Hichilema, community engagement, Mwinilunga, 1 July 2026, <a href="https://www.zanis.gov.zm/?p=4759">ZANIS</a>

Why the North-Western swing matters

North-Western Province sits at the heart of Zambia's copper economy and the export route the government has staked on the Lobito Corridor. Winning the province means defending both parliamentary seats and a mining-revenue base that funds the UPND's spending claims. The independent-candidates warning signals that the ruling party sees a real risk of votes leaking away in a tight field.

The economic case rests on figures the UPND has put forward. The manifesto of 11 June 2026 states the government has created over one million jobs, with a pledge to create millions more. Kwacha News reports the number as a UPND campaign claim rather than an independently audited outcome.

Background

President Hichilema opened the re-election campaign on 28 June 2026 at National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka, according to State House. The government said the record included free education for over 2.5 million children and more than 45,000 teachers recruited, per a State House statement on the campaign launch, 28 June 2026.

State House also put reserves at US$6.5 billion in the launch framing. The reserves figure is examined in Kwacha News's coverage of the 2026 forex-reserves debate. Kwacha News reports the launch numbers as UPND campaign claims rather than audited totals.

The manifesto set forward targets of 10,000 megawatts of power and 3 million tonnes of copper, according to a State House statement on the manifesto launch, 11 June 2026. The campaign forms part of Kwacha News's politics coverage of the 2026 general election. The field of contenders and the electoral rules are set out in a related report on the 2026 presidential race.

North-Western Province has been a UPND stronghold since the 2021 election, and the government has tied its second-term pitch to copper output and the corridor route through the region. The Social Cash Transfer expansion, which the government put at 1.6 million beneficiaries nationally, features heavily in the party's rural messaging. President Hichilema returned to that record repeatedly across the Mwinilunga and Solwezi engagements, ZANIS said.

What to watch

The next fixed marker is 13 August 2026, when Zambians vote in the general election. The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) began printing ballot papers on 30 June 2026 at about US$5 million, Chief Electoral Officer Brown Kasaro said. Watch whether the promised Mutanda-Mwinilunga road contracts are signed before polling day, as the President pledged in Mwinilunga.

Sources

Primary sources for this report: ZANIS on the Mwinilunga engagement, 1 July 2026; ZANIS on the Solwezi engagement, 1 July 2026; State House on the campaign launch, 28 June 2026; State House on the manifesto launch, 11 June 2026; and ZANIS on ballot-paper printing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about the North-Western swing, the government's jobs claims and the 2026 election timetable are answered below, with each answer traced to a named government or electoral source.

What did President Hichilema announce in North-Western Province?

In short, President Hichilema used community engagements in Mwinilunga and Solwezi on 1 July 2026 to press an economic record and warn voters off independent candidates. According to ZANIS, the President cited the Lobito Corridor, the Mutanda-Mwinilunga road and the Social Cash Transfer, and framed the stops as a review of achievements. The government said the visit showcased four years of work; the claims are attributed to the President, not independently verified.

How many jobs does the government say it has created?

The answer is set out in the UPND manifesto of 11 June 2026, which states the government has created over one million jobs, with a pledge to create millions more. Analysis of the manifesto shows forward targets of 10,000 megawatts of power and 3 million tonnes of copper. The figure is a campaign claim by the UPND; Kwacha News reports it as attributed data, not a verified outcome.

Why is North-Western Province important in the 2026 race?

The key is copper and the corridor economy, which make North-Western Province a swing region the UPND is working to hold. Evidence from the campaign schedule shows President Hichilema personally visiting Mwinilunga and Solwezi, districts tied to mining and the planned Lobito Corridor route. The province carries seats and mineral revenue both main camps want, according to the campaign framing.

Who are the independent candidates President Hichilema warned about?

In other words, President Hichilema urged voters not to back candidates standing outside the party structures on the ballot. According to ZANIS, the President told the Mwinilunga engagement that the opposition wants to use independent candidates to take away votes from the ruling party. The warning reflects UPND strategy in a contest the Electoral Commission of Zambia has confirmed is proceeding to a vote.

When is the 2026 Zambia general election?

The answer is 13 August 2026, the date set for the general election. According to the Electoral Commission of Zambia, ballot-paper printing began on 30 June 2026 at a cost of about US$5 million. Research into the electoral calendar shows the North-Western swing falling roughly six weeks before polling day, evidence that the campaign has entered its final stretch.