Lunte gets district status

By CHILA NAMAIKO –
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has fulfilled yet another campaign promise to the people of Lunte in Northern Province by declaring it as a district status.
The President made the assurance to the locals during his campaign trail in Lunte, in the run-up to the August 11, 2016 general elections.
The Head of State asked the chiefs and other stakeholders to collaborate and find a suitable place where the district administration offices would be constructed.
Mr Lungu, who became the first Republican President to visit Lunte, signed a Statutory Instrument (SI) last month, number 9, of 2017, to declare Lunte as a district.
Patriotic Front (PF) Lunte Member of Parliament (MP) Mutotwe Kafwaya confirmed the President’s decision in an interview yesterday.

LUNGU

Mr Kafwaya, who praised the President for fulfilling his campaign promise to the electorate, said the move demonstrated that Mr Lungu wanted to ensure development was spread countrywide to benefit every citizen.
He said the local traditional leaders, namely, Chief Mukupa Kaoma, Chief Shibwalya Kapila and Chief Chitoshi were grateful to the President’s decision to empower the locals.
“We the people of Lunte would like to sincerely thank our listening President for his humility to fulfill his campaign promises to create Lunte as a district for us. We are grateful by this decision and we are behind his leadership,” he said.
The visibly happy MP said a meeting was recently held, which was attended by local chiefs and other stakeholders chaired by Paramount Chief Chitimukulu to find a suitable place where a district administration centre could be constructed.
Mr Kafwaya said making Lunte a district showed that the Government remained focused to take more tangible development closer to people in remote areas.
It would reduce distances the locals covered to either Mporokoso or Kasama to access services such as obtaining of national registration cards.
Mr Kafwaya said the electorate were confident that by 2021, Lunte’s status would radically change owing to the Government departments such as a new district hospital, post office and a police station that would be built in the district.
The Lunte lawmaker said the infrastructure project would create many opportunities for jobs to be accessed by the locals.