https://lusakabrief.com/ Public-interest journalism for Zambia en-zm Sun, 11 Oct 2026 04:47:12 +0200 https://lusakabrief.com/news/imf-staff-level-agreement-zambia-1472-billion-36-month-ecf-prior-actions/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/imf-staff-level-agreement-zambia-1472-billion-36-month-ecf-prior-actions/ Sun, 11 Oct 2026 06:00:00 +0200 Zambia and the IMF have reached a staff-level agreement on a 36-month, US$1.472 billion Extended Credit Facility. Board approval and a set of prior actions still stand between Friday's handshake and the first disbursement. Economy https://lusakabrief.com/news/rtsa-bus-fares-rise-friday-intercity-7-percent-inter-mine-k350-local-k2/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/rtsa-bus-fares-rise-friday-intercity-7-percent-inter-mine-k350-local-k2/ Sun, 11 Oct 2026 05:59:00 +0200 The Road Transport and Safety Agency has approved higher bus fares across the country with effect from Friday 9 October, three weeks after the fuel pump price jumped by more than K6 a litre. Economy https://lusakabrief.com/news/hichilema-corruption-warning-civil-servants-mps-allowances-cdf-delivery-units/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/hichilema-corruption-warning-civil-servants-mps-allowances-cdf-delivery-units/ Sun, 11 Oct 2026 05:58:00 +0200 Beyond the growth targets, Friday's address to the 14th National Assembly carried a blunt warning to public servants, a rebuke over parliamentary allowances, and a defence of the anti-corruption drive. Politics https://lusakabrief.com/news/address-reactions-kampyongo-terzeon-uk-backing-opposition-space-nalumango/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/address-reactions-kampyongo-terzeon-uk-backing-opposition-space-nalumango/ Sun, 11 Oct 2026 05:57:00 +0200 The first responses to Friday's address crossed the aisle and the diplomatic row: an opposition lawmaker preaching peace, a British envoy pledging backing with a condition, and the Vice-President urging the country to move on. Politics https://lusakabrief.com/news/sumaili-betrayal-christians-october-18-prayer-day-si-73-december-29/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/sumaili-betrayal-christians-october-18-prayer-day-si-73-december-29/ Sun, 11 Oct 2026 05:56:00 +0200 A day after the Government moved the National Day of Prayer to a merged December commemoration, the minister who once held the religious-affairs portfolio has condemned the change as a betrayal of Christian believers. Culture https://lusakabrief.com/news/sikota-dpp-incompetent-mundubile-treason-delay-petition-october-26-hearing/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/sikota-dpp-incompetent-mundubile-treason-delay-petition-october-26-hearing/ Sun, 11 Oct 2026 05:55:00 +0200 Lead counsel Sakwiba Sikota says blaming investigations for the delay in bringing Brian Mundubile and 17 others to court is incompetent. Meanwhile a constitutional petition over the detentions has been scheduled for late October. Courts https://lusakabrief.com/news/health-pact-40000-workers-rdaz-prioritise-system-mwanza-sceptical/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/health-pact-40000-workers-rdaz-prioritise-system-mwanza-sceptical/ Sun, 11 Oct 2026 05:54:00 +0200 The US$1.5 billion health memorandum signed on Thursday carries a plan to recruit 40,000 health workers over five years. The resident doctors say existing staff should come first; the opposition questions the deal itself. Health https://lusakabrief.com/news/chipolopolo-slip-91st-fifa-rankings-togo-win-not-enough/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/chipolopolo-slip-91st-fifa-rankings-togo-win-not-enough/ Sun, 11 Oct 2026 05:53:00 +0200 Zambia have fallen one place to 91st in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking released on Wednesday, the 2-0 win over Togo outweighed by bigger gains elsewhere during the international window. Sport https://lusakabrief.com/news/heroes-stadium-11-arrested-fake-cash-giveaway-chilabi-disinformation/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/heroes-stadium-11-arrested-fake-cash-giveaway-chilabi-disinformation/ Sun, 11 Oct 2026 05:52:00 +0200 Police arrested eleven people at National Heroes Stadium on Friday morning after a false social-media post promising free cash drew a crowd to Gate 1. Officers dispersed the gathering when it refused to leave. Courts https://lusakabrief.com/news/hichilema-opens-14th-assembly-grow-zambia-agenda-unity-continuity-term-limits-silence/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/hichilema-opens-14th-assembly-grow-zambia-agenda-unity-continuity-term-limits-silence/ Sat, 10 Oct 2026 06:00:00 +0200 President Hakainde Hichilema ceremonially opened the First Session of the 14th National Assembly yesterday, telling a transformed chamber that the electorate's verdict was 'unequivocal: continuity, unity, progress and hard and smart work'. The address set out the Grow Zambia agenda for agriculture, mining and energy, restored the excise duty on fuel from this month, and ordered an electric-only fleet for government — while saying nothing, in its circulated text, about the third-term question that had crowded the foyer all week. Politics https://lusakabrief.com/news/fuel-excise-duty-returns-this-month-erb-review-tazama-ethanol-electric-only-government-fleet/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/fuel-excise-duty-returns-this-month-erb-review-tazama-ethanol-electric-only-government-fleet/ Sat, 10 Oct 2026 05:59:00 +0200 President Hichilema told the 14th Assembly that the excise duty on fuel, suspended to shield consumers from global price shocks, is restored from October — the revenue earmarked for free education, CDF, school feeding and social cash transfers. The package pairs the tax with a review of the ERB's monthly pricing mechanism, a firmer TAZAMA open-access regime, a local ethanol blending strategy, and a directive that government institutions will now buy only electric vehicles. Economy https://lusakabrief.com/news/hichilema-courts-imf-successor-programme-gemayel-grow-zambia-65-billion-darius-lautier/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/hichilema-courts-imf-successor-programme-gemayel-grow-zambia-65-billion-darius-lautier/ Sat, 10 Oct 2026 05:58:00 +0200 President Hichilema met IMF mission chief Edward Gemayel at State House on Wednesday to discuss a successor economic programme, telling him the completed US$1.3 billion Extended Credit Facility must give way to an arrangement 'complementary to our Grow Zambia Agenda' — the plan his officials price at US$65 billion in annual monetary value. The visit also marked a changing of the guard: resident representative Eric Lautier departs, Reginald Darius arrives. Economy https://lusakabrief.com/news/us-health-pact-fine-print-975-million-cofinancing-minerals-decoupled-mmembe-publish-mou/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/us-health-pact-fine-print-975-million-cofinancing-minerals-decoupled-mmembe-publish-mou/ Sat, 10 Oct 2026 05:57:00 +0200 Forty-eight hours after the US-Zambia health compact was signed at the Ministry of Finance, its architecture is clearer: Washington intends more than US$1.5 billion over five years, Zambia pledges US$975 million in new domestic health spending, co-financing fell from US$243 million to US$154 million, and the minerals question has been formally decoupled — though not settled. Fred M'membe calls the deal padded chains and wants the full text published; the minister says the public already won the argument that mattered. Health https://lusakabrief.com/news/zambia-human-rights-council-vote-monday-new-york-au-endorsed-milambo-treason-scrutiny/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/zambia-human-rights-council-vote-monday-new-york-au-endorsed-milambo-treason-scrutiny/ Sat, 10 Oct 2026 05:56:00 +0200 The UN General Assembly elects members of the Human Rights Council for 2027–2029 on Monday, and Zambia — the African Union-endorsed candidate — has spent the autumn lobbying for the seat, with Permanent Representative Chola Milambo working the corridors of UNGA 81. The bid lands in the same week the Government publicly rejected UN experts' concerns over the treason and sedition cases against opposition figures, telling the world body to let the courts decide. Politics https://lusakabrief.com/news/solwezi-jurisdiction-ruling-tuesday-mundubile-zulu-sedition-plea-mukonde/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/solwezi-jurisdiction-ruling-tuesday-mundubile-zulu-sedition-plea-mukonde/ Sat, 10 Oct 2026 05:55:00 +0200 Principal Resident Magistrate Mambwe Mukonde has set Tuesday 13 October to rule on whether the Solwezi Magistrate's Court may hear the sedition case against Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu, who argue the alleged offence happened in Lusaka. The ruling — and the plea it could unlock — is the week's first domino in a legal calendar that still holds an untried treason case against 18 accused. Courts https://lusakabrief.com/news/chitambala-mwewa-installed-lusaka-mayor-operation-clear-path-cbd-council-police/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/chitambala-mwewa-installed-lusaka-mayor-operation-clear-path-cbd-council-police/ Sat, 10 Oct 2026 05:54:00 +0200 Chitambala Mwewa was sworn in and installed as Mayor of Lusaka this week — 47 years after his father became the city's first indigenous Zambian mayor — with a mandate he has already started enforcing: vendors cleared, buses impounded, and phase two of Operation Clear Path aimed at the central business district. His first request from the chair is for the council police: better equipped, he says, or the cleanup will not hold. Politics https://lusakabrief.com/news/copper-queens-regroup-ndola-second-leg-uganda-tuesday-olympic-qualifier-haalubono/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/copper-queens-regroup-ndola-second-leg-uganda-tuesday-olympic-qualifier-haalubono/ Sat, 10 Oct 2026 05:53:00 +0200 The Copper Queens are home, hurt, and one goal down. Thursday's 2-1 defeat at Nakivubo — Prisca Chilufya's early opener cancelled out by Agnes Nabukenya and Sylvia Kabene's second-half header — means Tuesday's second leg at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium is a straight fight for the third round, with Ghana or Mauritius waiting for the winner and Los Angeles 2028 at the end of the road. Sport https://lusakabrief.com/news/national-day-of-prayer-moved-december-29-christian-heritage-church-mother-bodies/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/national-day-of-prayer-moved-december-29-christian-heritage-church-mother-bodies/ Sat, 10 Oct 2026 05:52:00 +0200 Zambia's National Day of Prayer, Fasting, Repentance and Reconciliation — a fixture of 18 October since 2015 — is being merged with the commemoration of the Christian-nation declaration into a single observance on 29 December 2026, under the theme 'National Day of Prayer and Christian Heritage'. The church mother bodies say consolidation enhances rather than diminishes the day; this year, the prayers are asked to happen in the pews, not the stadium. Culture https://lusakabrief.com/news/kasanka-bat-migration-season-confirmed-flysafair-lusaka-route-sungani-leopard-cubs/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/kasanka-bat-migration-season-confirmed-flysafair-lusaka-route-sungani-leopard-cubs/ Sat, 10 Oct 2026 05:51:00 +0200 The dry-season ledger is filling in. Everwild has confirmed its Kasanka bushcamp for the 2026 bat migration — guests from 25 October to 1 December, with both the Kasanka Trust and the parks authority on board; FlySafair will fly Johannesburg–Lusaka five times a week from February 2027; Proflight is nearly doubling its Jetstream fleet; and at Sungani in South Luangwa, the leopardess Kuvina has been spotted with not one cub but two. Culture https://lusakabrief.com/news/hichilema-opens-14th-national-assembly-today-term-limits-row-unity-calls/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/hichilema-opens-14th-national-assembly-today-term-limits-row-unity-calls/ Fri, 09 Oct 2026 06:00:00 +0200 President Hakainde Hichilema ceremonially opens the First Session of the 14th National Assembly today, his first address to Parliament since re-election, expected to set out the Government's 2026–2027 policy direction on energy, development and free education. Outside the chamber, the week's argument has been about a clause he has not proposed — and about the reconciliation his critics say must come first. Politics https://lusakabrief.com/news/lumezi-north-anderson-banda-elected-unopposed-nrpup-no-show-mandevu-chisenga/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/lumezi-north-anderson-banda-elected-unopposed-nrpup-no-show-mandevu-chisenga/ Fri, 09 Oct 2026 05:59:00 +0200 The NRPUP, the only party entitled to file a fresh nomination in Lumezi North, did not do so by Thursday's close — leaving the UPND's Anderson Banda to be declared duly elected without a vote. In Mandevu, the Tonse Pamodzi alliance shifted its backing from Jean Kapata to former Lusaka mayor Daniel Chisenga, who filed on an FDD ticket against the UPND's Adrian Banda. Politics https://lusakabrief.com/news/chitala-august-election-not-credible-unity-government-audit-13529-polling-stations/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/chitala-august-election-not-credible-unity-government-audit-13529-polling-stations/ Fri, 09 Oct 2026 05:58:00 +0200 Zambia Research Foundation director Dr Mbita Chitala, a co-founder of the MMD, has declared the 13 August general election not credible — citing the ECZ's six-hour blackout, the closure of the courts during the presidential petition window, and a claimed variance of more than 800,000 votes — and proposed an eight-pillar reconciliation process culminating in a government of national unity. Politics https://lusakabrief.com/news/kwacha-slides-toward-20-despite-record-copper-14600-dollar-import-demand/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/kwacha-slides-toward-20-despite-record-copper-14600-dollar-import-demand/ Fri, 09 Oct 2026 05:57:00 +0200 The kwacha traded at 19.92 to the US dollar on Thursday, down 3.53 percent over the past month even as copper holds near record levels above US$14,600 a tonne — a divergence that has analysts asking why the currency is not stronger, and one arguing it should be closer to K10. Economy https://lusakabrief.com/news/installed-capacity-4722mw-double-peak-demand-hichilema-warns-grid-lagging-effa/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/installed-capacity-4722mw-double-peak-demand-hichilema-warns-grid-lagging-effa/ Fri, 09 Oct 2026 05:56:00 +0200 President Hichilema has told the Energy Forum for Africa that Zambia's installed generation capacity of 4,722.3MW is now nearly twice peak national demand of about 2,400MW — but warned that the transmission and distribution network is lagging behind and must attract urgent investment. Economy https://lusakabrief.com/news/us-zambia-health-pact-signed-2-49-billion-coker-chilengi-40000-workers-zammsa/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/us-zambia-health-pact-signed-2-49-billion-coker-chilengi-40000-workers-zammsa/ Fri, 09 Oct 2026 05:55:00 +0200 Zambia and the United States signed their five-year health cooperation agreement at the Ministry of Finance on Thursday. The US State Department values the deal at US$2.49 billion — US$1.52 billion from Washington against US$975 million from Lusaka — notably less than the US$3.6 billion Zambian officials had mooted earlier in the week. The specimen and data clauses are gone; the opposition still wants the text published. Health https://lusakabrief.com/news/kasenengwa-petition-returning-officer-daka-confirms-errors-rejected-ballots-twasa/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/kasenengwa-petition-returning-officer-daka-confirms-errors-rejected-ballots-twasa/ Fri, 09 Oct 2026 05:54:00 +0200 John Daka, the returning officer for Kasenengwa, has told the Chipata High Court that the August poll in the constituency was marred by errors and irregularities — including rejected ballots found inside the declared winner's sealed envelope on a court-ordered recount. He also testified that he felt threatened when the winner and his supporters stormed the totalling centre. Courts https://lusakabrief.com/news/thailand-ivory-seizure-446-tusks-56000kg-timber-muhanga-origin-investigation-zambia/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/thailand-ivory-seizure-446-tusks-56000kg-timber-muhanga-origin-investigation-zambia/ Fri, 09 Oct 2026 05:53:00 +0200 The Ministry of Tourism says the reported Zambian origin of a consignment of 446 elephant tusks — seized with 56,000 kilograms of timber in Thailand and a second, unnamed country — has not been established. Investigators are reviewing permits and customs declarations, and a first inspection of the State ivory strongroom found no sign of theft. Courts https://lusakabrief.com/news/uganda-2-1-copper-queens-nakivubo-first-leg-olympic-qualifier-second-leg-ndola/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/uganda-2-1-copper-queens-nakivubo-first-leg-olympic-qualifier-second-leg-ndola/ Fri, 09 Oct 2026 05:52:00 +0200 The Copper Queens took an early lead at Hamz Stadium on Thursday but ended the night beaten 2-1 by Uganda's Crested Cranes in the first leg of their 2028 Olympic qualifier. The return leg is at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola on Tuesday, 13 October — Zambia must win it to keep Los Angeles in view. Sport https://lusakabrief.com/news/culture-season-calendar-kwacha-music-awards-november-27-nataaz-40-heritage-october/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/culture-season-calendar-kwacha-music-awards-november-27-nataaz-40-heritage-october/ Fri, 09 Oct 2026 05:51:00 +0200 A week after the Stanbic Music Festival's landmark weekend, Zambia's culture calendar fills in its own dates: the Kwacha Music Awards have confirmed 27 November, the National Theatre Arts Association of Zambia marks forty years in Chingola from 19 October, and festival season continues across the Copperbelt and Lusaka. Culture https://lusakabrief.com/news/us-health-pact-signed-today-3-6-billion-chilengi-minerals-membe-mwanza/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/us-health-pact-signed-today-3-6-billion-chilengi-minerals-membe-mwanza/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 06:00:00 +0200 Zambia and the United States are scheduled to sign their five-year health cooperation agreement at the Ministry of Finance today — a combined US$3.6 billion envelope: US$1.5 billion from Washington and US$2.1 billion from Lusaka's own health spending. The specimen-sharing clause is gone, data-sharing is narrowed to programme monitoring, and the health minister says minerals are mentioned nowhere. The opposition wants the full text published. Health https://lusakabrief.com/news/nominations-day-mandevu-kapata-adrian-banda-lumezi-north-mbala-ward-byelections/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/nominations-day-mandevu-kapata-adrian-banda-lumezi-north-mbala-ward-byelections/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 05:59:00 +0200 The Electoral Commission of Zambia receives nomination papers today for the Mandevu and Lumezi North parliamentary by-elections, the Mbala mayoralty and eleven ward contests across five provinces. In Mandevu, Tonse Pamodzi's Jean Kapata — who held the seat from 2006 to 2021 — faces the UPND's Adrian Banda and LM's Ntazana Musukuma. Campaigning opens on Saturday; polling is on 5 November. Politics https://lusakabrief.com/news/third-term-debate-hichilema-address-14th-assembly-friday-simuuwe-article-106/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/third-term-debate-hichilema-address-14th-assembly-friday-simuuwe-article-106/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 05:58:00 +0200 President Hichilema opens the First Session of the 14th National Assembly on Friday with a policy address — yet the week's loudest pre-speech row is over Article 106's two-term bar. A UPND MP says the limit can constitutionally be revisited and complains his remarks were clipped out of context; the opposition calls the trial balloon a confession. State House has repeatedly distanced itself from third-term talk. Politics https://lusakabrief.com/news/world-bank-africa-economic-update-4-3-percent-zambia-upgraded-ai-readiness/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/world-bank-africa-economic-update-4-3-percent-zambia-upgraded-ai-readiness/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 05:57:00 +0200 The World Bank's October Africa Economic Update raises Sub-Saharan Africa's 2026 growth forecast to 4.3 percent — 0.3 points above April — with Zambia, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Angola among nearly three-quarters of economies revised up. But median inflation is seen climbing back to 5.5 percent, income per person barely moves, and growth is still not making jobs. Economy https://lusakabrief.com/news/solar-passes-1000mw-installed-capacity-4722mw-effa-2026-transmission-batoka/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/solar-passes-1000mw-installed-capacity-4722mw-effa-2026-transmission-batoka/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 05:56:00 +0200 Installed generation capacity has climbed from 3,777MW in 2024 to 4,722.3MW, with solar jumping from 178MW to 1,027.5MW — past the 1,000MW-by-2026 target — the Energy Forum for Africa heard in Lusaka. The next bottlenecks: transmission lines, and turning Batoka, Devil's Gorge and Kariba floating solar from pipeline into procurement. Economy https://lusakabrief.com/news/kabwata-petition-proceeds-mulanda-time-bar-yenga-tayengwa-witnesses-chilenje/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/kabwata-petition-proceeds-mulanda-time-bar-yenga-tayengwa-witnesses-chilenje/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 05:55:00 +0200 Justice Mary Mulanda has dismissed a preliminary bid to throw out the Kabwata election petition as time-barred, ruling that the seat was declared on 17 August — not the 15th, as a typographical error suggested — making the 31 August filing valid under section 100(3). Witnesses then testified to money handouts at Chilenje Community Hall and Kamwala Secondary School. Courts https://lusakabrief.com/news/fake-church-ban-circular-disowned-kawana-malicious-fabrication-cholera-information/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/fake-church-ban-circular-disowned-kawana-malicious-fabrication-cholera-information/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 05:54:00 +0200 A forged statement circulating on social media — claiming the Government has suspended church meetings, overnight prayers and crusades until 1 November — is fake, the Ministry of Information and Media says. Permanent Secretary Thabo Kawana called it a malicious fabrication born of 'the panic of opposition political factions' and warned both forgers and media houses that amplify unchecked documents. Health https://lusakabrief.com/news/copper-queens-uganda-today-nakivubo-olympic-qualifier-banda-not-negotiable-haalubono/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/copper-queens-uganda-today-nakivubo-olympic-qualifier-banda-not-negotiable-haalubono/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 05:53:00 +0200 Kick-off is 15:00 CAT at Hamz Stadium, Nakivubo — after this edition went to press. Barbra Banda leads a 25-player squad including eight foreign-based professionals into the first leg of the 2028 Olympic qualifier against Uganda, with the return in Ndola on 13 October and Ghana or Mauritius waiting beyond. Sport https://lusakabrief.com/news/wanderers-court-adjourned-october-14-nsama-pressure-group-resign-demand-mufulira/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/wanderers-court-adjourned-october-14-nsama-pressure-group-resign-demand-mufulira/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 05:52:00 +0200 Wednesday's 08:00 hearing in the challenge to Mufulira Wanderers' executive was adjourned to 14 October, Mafken FM reports. The plaintiffs — former trainer Davies Nsama and the Community Pressure Group — say the committee's tenure has expired; the club says they are not paid-up members. The group has now demanded the executive 'resign with immediate effect'. Sport https://lusakabrief.com/news/jason-derulo-stanbic-music-festival-2026-lusaka-showgrounds-yo-maps-tenge-tenge-review/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/jason-derulo-stanbic-music-festival-2026-lusaka-showgrounds-yo-maps-tenge-tenge-review/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 05:51:00 +0200 Saturday's Stanbic Music Festival finale at Polo Field A was Jason Derulo's only African stop on The Last Dance World Tour — and he shared the bill with Yo Maps, Mampi, Danny Kaya and a 13-year-old Ugandan viral sensation. The Culture Desk looks back at the weekend Lusaka's festival economy came of age, and forward to the heritage week ahead. Culture https://lusakabrief.com/news/us-health-pact-1-5-billion-signing-thursday-chilengi-minerals-data/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/us-health-pact-1-5-billion-signing-thursday-chilengi-minerals-data/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 06:00:00 +0200 Health Minister Roma Chilengi says Zambia will sign the revised five-year health agreement with the United States on Thursday, after Washington dropped demands on patient specimens and critical minerals. The US will provide US$1.5 billion over five years; Zambia's own health spend over the period is projected at US$2.1 billion. Health https://lusakabrief.com/news/ecz-nominations-thursday-mandevu-lumezi-mbala-ward-byelections/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/ecz-nominations-thursday-mandevu-lumezi-mbala-ward-byelections/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 05:59:00 +0200 The Electoral Commission of Zambia conducts nominations on Thursday for the Mandevu and Lumezi parliamentary by-elections, the Mbala mayoral race and eleven ward contests across five provinces. Campaigns open on Saturday and polling is on 5 November. In Kasempa and Mpika, electoral officers are already preaching peace. Politics https://lusakabrief.com/news/hichilema-opens-14th-national-assembly-friday-policy-address-second-term/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/hichilema-opens-14th-national-assembly-friday-policy-address-second-term/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 05:58:00 +0200 President Hichilema will officially open the First Session of the 14th National Assembly on Friday, setting out the Government's policy direction and priorities for 2026–2027. It is his first address to a House his party dominates — with a budget framework, a drought forecast and a restive opposition all waiting in the foyer. Politics https://lusakabrief.com/news/budget-2027-framework-271-9-billion-spending-copper-path-hearings/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/budget-2027-framework-271-9-billion-spending-copper-path-hearings/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 05:57:00 +0200 Total expenditure is projected at K271.9 billion next year, revenue at K218.6 billion and borrowing at K44.9 billion, the finance ministry told public hearings on Monday. Growth this year is seen at 5.3 percent — below the 6.4 percent promised a year ago — and copper output must climb from 890,346 tonnes to 1.08 million in 2027. Economy https://lusakabrief.com/news/fake-seed-crackdown-cap-236-inspections-planting-season-sikazwe/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/fake-seed-crackdown-cap-236-inspections-planting-season-sikazwe/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 05:56:00 +0200 The Seed Control and Certification Institute says inspectors are moving through warehouses, open markets and agro-dealerships this planting season, armed with Cap 236 powers to apprehend and prosecute counterfeit-seed dealers. Farmers are being told to buy only from known sources — and a tougher law is on the way. Economy https://lusakabrief.com/news/ndola-central-petition-namushi-conflicting-accounts-ballot-reconciliation-tayali/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/ndola-central-petition-namushi-conflicting-accounts-ballot-reconciliation-tayali/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 05:55:00 +0200 Carol Namushi, the ECZ presiding officer called by petitioner Frank Tayali, gave two conflicting accounts of the alleged Chibolele polling-station disturbance and could not reconcile her ballot figures under cross-examination, prompting the court to caution her. The petition over the 819-vote margin continues. Courts https://lusakabrief.com/news/operation-clear-path-41-buses-impounded-16-drivers-court-commuters-warning/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/operation-clear-path-41-buses-impounded-16-drivers-court-commuters-warning/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 05:54:00 +0200 Police say 41 buses were impounded in Saturday's joint sweep for loading passengers at undesignated places, with 16 drivers scheduled for court and two people arrested for disorderly conduct. Mayor Chitambala Mwewa says commuters who keep boarding on Cha Cha Cha and Freedom Way will also face the law. Health https://lusakabrief.com/news/copper-queens-uganda-olympic-qualifier-nakivubo-banda-kundananji-haalubono/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/copper-queens-uganda-olympic-qualifier-nakivubo-banda-kundananji-haalubono/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 05:53:00 +0200 Captain Barbra Banda and four other foreign-based players have joined the Copper Queens camp in Kampala ahead of Thursday's 2028 Olympic qualifier first leg at Hamz Nakivubo Stadium, with Racheal Kundananji, Prisca Chilufya and Mercy Chipasula completing the squad. Interim coach Charles Haalubono must turn a disappointing WAFCON year into a Los Angeles road. Sport https://lusakabrief.com/news/wanderers-executive-court-this-morning-mandate-challenge-nsama/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/wanderers-executive-court-this-morning-mandate-challenge-nsama/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 05:52:00 +0200 The executive committee of nine-time champions Mufulira Wanderers was due before the court at 08:00 hours on Wednesday, summoned by former physical trainer Davies Nsama and the Mufulira Wanderers Community Pressure Group in a challenge to its continued mandate. The club insists the plaintiffs are not paid-up members — and that football comes first. Sport https://lusakabrief.com/news/kwacha-music-awards-2026-nominees-voting-november-27/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/kwacha-music-awards-2026-nominees-voting-november-27/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 05:51:00 +0200 The 2026 Kwacha Music Awards nominees have been announced and voting is officially open, ahead of the ceremony on Friday, 27 November. Built on airplay tracking across 45 radio stations, this year's list carries the theme 'Prestige, Excellence and Honour' — and a warning from the organisers: nobody pays for a nomination. Culture https://lusakabrief.com/news/solwezi-jurisdiction-ruling-october-13-no-plea-submissions-thursday/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/solwezi-jurisdiction-ruling-october-13-no-plea-submissions-thursday/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 06:00:00 +0200 Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu left the Solwezi Magistrates' Court on Monday as they arrived: unpleaded. The defence says the alleged offence happened in Lusaka, not Solwezi; the State wanted to press on there and then. Principal Resident Magistrate Mambwe Mukonde will rule on 13 October, with written submissions due on Thursday. Politics https://lusakabrief.com/news/silumbe-national-indaba-healing-must-start-with-leaders-grow-zambia/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/silumbe-national-indaba-healing-must-start-with-leaders-grow-zambia/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 05:59:00 +0200 Leadership Movement president Dr Richard Silumbe has urged President Hichilema to call a genuine national reconciliation indaba, warning that the country is 'building a fertile land for a national crisis'. His argument is economic as much as moral: three million tonnes of copper and ten million tonnes of maize will not come from a nation of vengeance. Politics https://lusakabrief.com/news/hichilema-samu-lya-moomba-drought-warning-keep-maize-granaries/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/hichilema-samu-lya-moomba-drought-warning-keep-maize-granaries/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 05:58:00 +0200 Speaking in Chief Choongo's country on Sunday, President Hichilema told traditional leaders to make their people keep enough maize for their own tables and to store it in granaries rather than sacks — and pitched rentable FRA sheds at K1.8 million. Between the culture and the caution came a second-term message to MPs: 'I will be tough this term.' Politics https://lusakabrief.com/news/lobito-28-billion-118-anchor-investments-bjerde-conveyor-belt/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/lobito-28-billion-118-anchor-investments-bjerde-conveyor-belt/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 05:57:00 +0200 The IFC has identified 118 anchor investments worth more than US$28 billion across mining, energy, agribusiness, logistics and forestry, Anna Bjerde told the Second Lobito Corridor Coordination Meeting in Lusaka on Monday. Her condition: coordinate on power, water, skills and secondary cities — or build an expensive conveyor belt. Economy https://lusakabrief.com/news/kcm-restoration-order-kafue-pollution-dispute-hippo-pool-cej/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/kcm-restoration-order-kafue-pollution-dispute-hippo-pool-cej/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 05:56:00 +0200 Government has hit Konkola Copper Mines with an Environmental Restoration Order and a Cost Order over the 28 September pollution incident on the Kafue River. KCM rejects the attribution — it first reported discoloured water at Hippo Pool, 18 kilometres away — and wants an evidence-based probe. Civil society has now entered the argument. Economy https://lusakabrief.com/news/katele-kalumba-spine-failing-sedition-plea-dpp-consent-october-15/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/katele-kalumba-spine-failing-sedition-plea-dpp-consent-october-15/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 05:55:00 +0200 The former finance minister and Chienge traditional leader appeared at the Lusaka Magistrates' Court on Friday on sedition charges over Facebook remarks about the President. The State has not yet obtained the Director of Public Prosecutions' consent, so plea could not be taken; the matter returns on 15 October. Courts https://lusakabrief.com/news/operation-clear-path-phase-two-katondo-street-buses-wheelbarrow-traders/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/operation-clear-path-phase-two-katondo-street-buses-wheelbarrow-traders/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 05:54:00 +0200 The Lusaka City Council has rolled out Phase Two of Operation Clear Path, targeting Katondo Street's phone traders and car-sale displays, relocating buses with RTSA and police help, and directing wheelbarrow traders to register at Soweto, City and Simon Mwewa markets. The cholera arithmetic behind the sweep has not gone away. Health https://lusakabrief.com/news/transition-league-week-one-green-eagles-four-wanderers-shinde-scorecard/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/transition-league-week-one-green-eagles-four-wanderers-shinde-scorecard/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 05:53:00 +0200 Green Eagles produced the biggest win of opening week, thumping nine-time champions Mufulira Wanderers 4-1 at Shinde Stadium. Red Arrows won 3-1 at Mutondo Stars, promoted Roan United won at Nkwazi, and Green Buffaloes edged Chirundu United — while Kabwe Warriors and ZESCO United shared the points in Kabwe. Sport https://lusakabrief.com/news/mufulira-wanderers-exco-court-summons-october-7-nsama-pressure-group/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/mufulira-wanderers-exco-court-summons-october-7-nsama-pressure-group/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 05:52:00 +0200 Nine-time champions Mufulira Wanderers have confirmed receipt of a summons requiring the executive committee to appear in court on 7 October, in an action brought by former physical trainer Davies Nsama and the Mufulira Wanderers Community Pressure Group. The club's reply: the plaintiffs are not paid-up members — and Mopani's lawyers are reviewing the papers. Sport https://lusakabrief.com/news/samu-lya-moomba-heritage-independence-struggle-chief-choongo-ceremony/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/samu-lya-moomba-heritage-independence-struggle-chief-choongo-ceremony/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 05:51:00 +0200 Thousands gathered in Chief Choongo's country at the weekend for the 2026 Samu Lya Moomba traditional ceremony. Beneath the drums and the season's politics sits an older claim on the national memory: parliamentary records remember Bweengwa as the place where villagers contributed cattle to fund the independence struggle. Culture https://lusakabrief.com/news/mundubile-zulu-solwezi-road-transfer-sedition-plea-monday/ https://lusakabrief.com/news/mundubile-zulu-solwezi-road-transfer-sedition-plea-monday/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 06:00:00 +0200 Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu spent Sunday on the North-Western highway under prison and police escort, bound for the Solwezi Magistrates' Court, where they are due to take a formal plea this morning — and where the State must finally say whether it is ready to try the seditious-practices case. The treason case, the graver one, still has no courtroom at all. Politics