The two ministries left empty on Wednesday have ministers. President Hakainde Hichilema swore in Charles Milupi as Minister of Transport and Logistics and Christopher Kalila as Minister of Housing at State House on Thursday 29 October, according to a State House statement distributed through APO Group and carried by Africa Newsroom and Pan African Visions. News Diggers had reported on Thursday morning that the Transport and Housing posts were the only ones unfilled after Wednesday's swearing-in of 24 Cabinet ministers and ten provincial ministers under the 30-ministry structure Parliament approved on Tuesday.
Milupi takes a ministry whose brief the President framed around corridors. The statement says he asked the ministry to prioritise economic corridors so that transport infrastructure draws investment along key routes, and named three projects to be implemented without delay: the Lobito Corridor, the revitalisation of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority and the rehabilitation of Zambia Railways. He wants rail to carry more bulk cargo to relieve the roads and support mining, agriculture and trade, and he asked for private-sector partnerships and modernised logistics systems.
We are talking about services, investment, trade and growth to fulfil our goals and the agenda.
— President Hakainde Hichilema at the swearing-in at State House on Thursday 29 October, in a statement issued by State House
Plots only after the pipes
Kalila's instructions were more specific. The President directed the new Housing Minister to deal with unplanned settlements through structured urban planning and basic infrastructure before land is allocated, and told local authorities to allocate only serviced land, meaning plots with roads, sanitation and other essential facilities already in place. He called for standardised, affordable housing designs for teachers, nurses and other public workers, arguing that standardisation cuts cost, and for modern building technologies and financing to widen home ownership. Kalila, in remarks reported in the same statement, put the national housing deficit at about 1.5 million units, rising to a projected 3 million by 2030, with the greatest need in rural areas, and linked decent housing to disease prevention. Milupi called transport the backbone of the economy and said plans were in place to lower logistics costs.
The President also returned to the theme of his Wednesday address, stressing accountability, integrity and collective responsibility, and that the national interest must come before personal interest. On Wednesday, News Diggers reported, he had warned the new ministers against laziness and what the paper called excessive happy hours, and urged them to stay humble.
The whips
In the National Assembly on Thursday, Speaker Nelly Mutti announced that she had received formal communication from the UPND appointing Stafford Mulusa, the Solwezi North MP, as Government Chief Whip and Alexander Sakala, the Matero MP, as Deputy Government Chief Whip, News Diggers reported on Friday. Mulusa held the Chief Whip's post from 2021, when Princess Kasune was his deputy; Kasune was later made a minister and replaced as deputy by Likando Mufalali in February 2025. The paper also noted the opposition's recent appointments: the NRPUP's Ezra Tembo as Leader of the Opposition, Milenge's Gystave Chonde as party whip and Nyimba's Paul Lungu as his deputy.
Thursday's two appointments fill the only posts News Diggers listed as vacant after Wednesday, so each of the 30 ministries created by Tuesday's realignment now has a named minister; Zambia Monitor's list of the 24 has Harry Kamboni at Education and Douglas Syakalima at Skills and Higher Education, Peter Kapala at Electricity and Makozo Chikote at Petroleum. No gazette notice had been seen by Friday morning. The first test of the full bench is the 2027 budget, now due on Friday 6 November.
Sources: State House (via APO Group / Africa Newsroom), “President Hichilema Charges New Ministers to Drive Grow Zambia Agenda Through Infrastructure and Housing Delivery” (29 Oct 2026); Pan African Visions, “President Hichilema Charges New Ministers to Drive Grow Zambia Agenda Through Infrastructure and Housing Delivery” (29 Oct 2026); News Diggers, “UPND appoints Mulusa, Sakala as Govt Whips” (30 Oct 2026); News Diggers, “Don't be lazy, says HH as he swears in 24 ministers” (29 Oct 2026); Zambia Monitor, “'Zambia, here are your ministers,' Hichilema unveils new cabinet, portfolios (See list)” (28 Oct 2026).