Mundubile pledges 300,000 jobs from 12 farming blocks

LUSAKA — Opposition candidate Brian Mundubile has pledged more than 300,000 jobs through 12 farming blocks, a plan that represents the centrepiece of the Tonse-Pamodzi campaign now reaching Lusaka.

The jobs-and-farming message is Mundubile's central pitch to voters four weeks before the 13 August general election, a contest widely cast as a two-horse race between Mundubile and President Hakainde Hichilema. Agriculture employs most Zambians, and the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance is betting a concrete jobs number will cut through in a campaign dominated by the cost of living.

A jobs pledge built on farming blocks

Mundubile has told rallies a Tonse-Pamodzi government would establish 12 state-backed farming blocks and use the blocks to create the bulk of the promised jobs. Analysis by The Zambian Observer sets out the arithmetic behind the figure: each block of roughly 100,000 hectares is projected to generate up to 25,000 jobs, which across 10 to 12 blocks yields between 250,000 and 300,000 positions. Mundubile has framed the plan as a way to turn subsistence farming into commercial production, with women and young people placed at the centre.

We will bring tractors closer to the farmer. We will support cooperatives and small-scale farmers with mechanisation and irrigation so that agriculture becomes a business and not merely a struggle for survival.

— Brian Mundubile, <a href="https://zambianobserver.com/mundubile-courts-farmers-with-irrigation-mechanisation-and-faster-maize-payments/">Petauke rally, July 2026</a>

The agriculture platform pairs the farming blocks with support aimed at existing growers: expanded irrigation, tractors and combine harvesters, and commercial grain-drying systems. The Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance argues processing crops such as cassava and maize inside Zambia, rather than exporting raw commodities, would keep more value and more jobs in the country, and says private investment would be drawn in alongside state money to build the blocks.

Faster maize payments and a teacher debt swap

Beyond the farming blocks, Mundubile has promised to speed up payments to farmers who deliver maize to the Food Reserve Agency, a recurring grievance in rural constituencies where growers have waited months to be paid. Mundubile's campaign pledges also include announcing crop prices earlier, guaranteeing a market for produce and distributing farming inputs on time.

Farmers work hard throughout the season but wait too long to sell their maize and receive payment. We need to shorten that cycle and put money into farmers' hands much faster.

— Brian Mundubile, <a href="https://zambianobserver.com/mundubile-courts-farmers-with-irrigation-mechanisation-and-faster-maize-payments/">Petauke rally, July 2026</a>

For public workers, Mundubile has pledged a debt-swap programme to consolidate and restructure the loan deductions leaving many teachers and civil servants with little take-home pay. Mundubile has also promised to clear a backlog of about 50,000 teacher upgrades for staff who have gained higher qualifications, according to The Zambian Observer.

Our young people do not want empty promises. They want opportunities to work, start businesses and build better lives. We will create an economy that rewards enterprise and hard work.

— Brian Mundubile, <a href="https://zambianobserver.com/mundubile-pledges-debt-swap-to-rescue-teachers-civil-servants-from-loan-crisis/">Mporokoso rally, 7 July 2026</a>

Taking the campaign to Lusaka

The farming pitch has followed Mundubile into Lusaka, where the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance scheduled a week of rallies in mid-July running through Luangwa, Rufunsa and Chongwe on the capital's rural edges before moving into Kafue, Chilanga and the townships of Kanyama, Chawama and Matero. Lusaka and the surrounding province carry a large share of the national vote, and the campaign has treated the swing, which follows earlier rallies on the Copperbelt, as a chance to press the jobs message in Zambia's biggest urban market. The Lusaka programme is set to close with a main presidential rally in Matero.

Alongside the economic message, the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance has sought to reassure voters a change of government would not bring reprisals, saying a Mundubile administration would prioritise unity, peace and reconciliation regardless of political affiliation, The Zambian Observer reported. Mundubile has also promised to keep the Social Cash Transfer for the poor and widen the programme's reach.

Background

Mundubile, 55, is a lawyer and accountant who has represented Mporokoso in the National Assembly since 2016 and served as Leader of the Opposition after the 2021 election before losing that role in 2023. A former Patriotic Front member of parliament, Mundubile was chosen as the Tonse Alliance's presidential candidate in January 2026 and is contesting the presidency for the first time, according to Wikipedia.

The Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance took shape when Mundubile's Tonse Alliance merged with a Patriotic Front faction led by running mate Makebi Zulu, with the two groupings agreeing to run joint campaigns under one banner, allAfrica reported. Mundubile has pledged to keep free education among a widening list of campaign promises.

The presidential field is crowded. The Electoral Commission of Zambia cleared 14 candidates for the ballot, among them President Hakainde Hichilema, who is seeking a second term at the head of a 15-party United Party for National Development alliance. Fred M'membe's People's Pact and Harry Kalaba's Orange Alliance are also contesting, complicating the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance's hope of consolidating the anti-government vote. A fuller guide to the 14 candidates and the rules sets out the contest.

What to watch

The immediate test is the presidential rally in Matero, the biggest set-piece of the Lusaka swing. The larger question is whether the 300,000-jobs figure survives scrutiny: independent analysis has already queried how quickly 12 farming blocks could be financed and made productive, and how many of the jobs would be permanent. Costing — and how a Tonse-Pamodzi government would pay for the plan without adding to Zambia's debt — is likely to shape the final weeks before 13 August. Kwacha News's Zambian politics coverage will track the campaign to polling day.

Sources

Reporting drawn from Wikipedia's profile of Brian Mundubile; the 2026 Zambian general election entry; allAfrica on the alliance merger; and The Zambian Observer on the 300,000-jobs arithmetic, the farming and maize-payment pledges, the teacher debt swap, the Lusaka campaign schedule and the reconciliation message.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Brian Mundubile?

In short, Brian Mundubile is the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance's presidential candidate for Zambia's 13 August 2026 election. Wikipedia records show the 55-year-old lawyer and accountant has represented Mporokoso in the National Assembly since 2016 and once served as Leader of the Opposition.

What is the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance?

Simply put, the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance is an opposition coalition formed when the Tonse Alliance merged with the Patriotic Front faction led by Makebi Zulu. Reporting by allAfrica reveals the two groupings agreed to run joint campaigns under a single banner before the August polls.

What are Mundubile's main campaign pledges?

The key is agriculture. Analysis of Mundubile's rallies shows pledges of more than 300,000 jobs through 12 farming blocks, faster maize payments via the Food Reserve Agency, and a debt swap for teachers and civil servants.

How many jobs has Mundubile pledged to create?

The answer is more than 300,000. According to analysis by The Zambian Observer, the plan projects up to 25,000 jobs for each of 10 to 12 farming blocks of about 100,000 hectares, reaching between 250,000 and 300,000 jobs.

Why is the 13 August election important?

In other words, the 13 August vote decides whether Hichilema wins a second term or the opposition returns to power. Data from the Electoral Commission of Zambia shows 14 candidates cleared to contest the presidency.