President Hakainde Hichilema held a high-level interactive meeting Sunday afternoon with the House of Chiefs, reaffirming government’s commitment to working closely with traditional leaders in the implementation of national development initiatives.
The meeting, chaired by the newly elected Chairperson of the House of Chiefs, Chief Choongo of Monze, centered on strengthening collaboration between government and traditional authorities, particularly in the ongoing decentralisation agenda through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
“As custodians of our traditions and culture, traditional leaders play a critical role in the governance of our country,” President Hichilema said. “Their collaboration is essential to the success of our development programs, especially at the grassroots level.”
The President underscored the government’s dedication to improving the welfare of traditional leaders, pledging to expedite the construction of chiefs’ palaces and to provide farming inputs ahead of the 2024/2025 agricultural season. He noted that empowering traditional leaders to lead by example would reinforce food security efforts across the country.
During the dialogue, President Hichilema also called attention to the responsible management of Zambia’s natural resources, emphasizing that these resources belong to all citizens and must be preserved for future generations.
“We are grateful to Their Royal Highnesses for their support during the recent severe drought,” the President said. “We urge you to educate your communities on the importance of safeguarding harvests and ensuring household food security.”
The President further encouraged the allocation of land for irrigation-based food production as part of broader efforts to enhance agricultural resilience in the face of climate change.
Addressing concerns surrounding constitutional reforms, President Hichilema assured the chiefs that the proposed amendments are being approached with full transparency and with no hidden agendas. He reiterated that all citizens, including traditional leaders, would be actively engaged in the reform process.
In closing, the Head of State called on traditional leaders to continue fostering peace and unity, and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to partnering with the House of Chiefs to advance inclusive national development.
“Together, we will ensure that no region or community is left behind,” President Hichilema said.
In Kiswahili they say “Muacha mila ni mtumwa” ,but the house of chiefs system is a very expensive operation to run and honestly mostly wasteful.
House of chiefs can only support you If they are well looked after.
Otherwise we have seen some Who
Are big critic of the new dawn.
If it looks and sounds like campaign mode, it indeed is!
Is it just me or people are not seeing the need to appoint ministers outside Parliament? This is absolutely necessary as delimitation is been pursued.
He promises paradise if we keep him at state house 2026
We want that paradise now not 2026