Rural Zambia deserves a better leader – GBM
UPND presidential running mate Geoffrey Mwamba has bemoaned the lack of development in the rural areas of the country and says this can only be changed by electing Hakainde Hichilema into office.
The former Kasama MP, who is campaigning in the rural parts of Northern Province, castigated President Edgar Lungu and the ruriling PF for claiming to have brought development to rural areas when the real situation is that most projects started by Lungu’s predecessor Michael Sata have stalled.
The UPND vice-president issued the following statement:
As my President and I and our teams traverse the country, by various means, including driving, flying and in some cases by water transport.
It is evident that our rural areas lack basic needs, such as clean and safe water, health care and education facilities.
In the face of these realities the people governing this country have the audacity to claim that schools, health posts and employment have been created and are receiving adequate service delivery. This is appalling and hurts. They are basically deceiving the people that put them in office. The reality is that many social services and infrastructure, such as roads, health centres and schools, which were commenced by the late Michael Chilufya Sata, have actually stalled, due to misappropriation of funds, over procurement and corruption.
Here are some examples of the realities people are living with:
– Kasakula village, which is situated on the outskirts of Lukashya Constituency in Kasama, one teacher is taking three grades, 1 to 3, at the same time in one classroom. Another teacher at the same school takes a combined class of grades 4 to 7. This is because teachers and classrooms are not enough. During my school days at Ituna, the teacher/pupil ratio was well defined and strems per grade too.
– The villages in this area have no feeder roads. The only bridge they have is damaged such that during rainy season children stop going to school. Also, expectant mothers referred to Kasama General Hospital cannot move when there are floods. These expectant mothers, in this era of illnesses, end up delivering under traditional birth attendants who also charge them K150.
– Luapula province gave PF 95% vote in 2011 but the people there have been totally neglected, the majority have no access to safe and clean drinking water, no sanitation facilities yet the province has abundant water bodies.
Today, we have projects being commissioned and yet they are incomplete and without facilitiesl in the name of Sonta.
Worse you see President Lungu on ZNBC smiling, with a raised fist, claiming that he has created employment, built universities, schools and health posts! This is shameful.
“Wila bepa abantu” stop lying
Anyway Zambians are patiently waiting for 11th August when they will dismiss PF out of State House for making their lives miserable.
My president, HH, has a ten point plan arising from issues affecting the people of Zambia. This is because he knows each part of this country, its resources and what people need.
One only has to go to Mununga, Mambilima, Pambashe and even Mpulungu, to see the poverty levels and check if the people there have water and sanitation facilities
Meanwhile I thank our almighty God for giving President Hichilema an opportunity to travel across the country during all these past years, as he now knows and understands issues affecting the people across this country unlike President Lungu.
Ba Lungu, the Patriotic Front has been rejected today because of your failure to govern. You have failed the people of Zambia; you have put more money in your pocket than in people’s pockets.
The only alternative the people of Zambia have is the UPND. The UPND is ready to govern this country and make people’s lives better.
ISSUED by
UPND Vice President for Administration/ Runningmate
Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba
30th July 2016