President Hakainde Hichilema has kept his inner circle of advisers intact. In a statement issued in Lusaka on Thursday 22 October, State House Chief Communications Specialist Clayson Hamasaka announced that the President had re-appointed the seven members of his presidential advisory team under Article 92(2)(e) and (f) of the Constitution, Zambia Monitor and News Diggers report.
The seven are Bradford Machila as Principal Private Secretary; Christopher Mundia as Special Assistant to the President for Legal Affairs; Joseph Lungu as Special Assistant for Policy Compliance; Dr Lawrence Mwananyanda as Special Assistant for Projects Implementation Monitoring and National Security; Levy Ngoma as Special Assistant for Political Affairs; Dr Pamela Nakamba as Special Assistant for Economic Affairs; and Jito Kayumba as Special Assistant for Finance and Investments.
Zambia Monitor quotes Mr Hamasaka as saying the advisers "would continue serving in their respective roles", and reports that the President congratulated them and wished them well in their continued service. News Diggers describes the move as retaining officials who have served in the administration since 2021. Neither report says why fresh instruments of appointment were needed now, or for what term.
The appointments still to come
The announcement is notable as much for what it is not. It concerns the President's personal staff, not the ministers who will run the Government in his second term, and the composition of that Cabinet remains the subject of speculation. News Diggers reported on Wednesday 21 October that Charles Milupi, the UPND Alliance chairperson, had responded to social-media posts claiming he would be excluded from the Cabinet by saying he had no intention of retiring and that it was "up to President Hakainde Hichilema to appoint whoever he deems fit". He said he would accept an offer to serve in his previous ministry or any other, and remarked that competition for ministerial positions was strong and that some people were producing "fake" stories to remove those they saw as rivals.
Readers looking for the Government's own timetable will not find one in Thursday's statement: it names the advisers, confirms their roles and says nothing about the Cabinet. The advisers named are, according to News Diggers, officials who have served in the administration since 2021, so the practical effect is continuity at the top of the President's office while the ministerial line-up is settled.
Sources: Zambia Monitor, “Hichilema re-appoints presidential advisory team” (22 Oct 2026); News Diggers, “HH re-appoints presidential advisors” (22 Oct 2026); News Diggers, “I've not retired; it's up to HH to appoint whoever he deems fit – Milupi” (21 Oct 2026).