Chief Justice Mumba Malila administered the oath of office at a packed National Heroes Stadium on Tuesday, with Mutale Nalumango sworn in as Vice-President and a 21-gun salute closing the ceremony. The mandate dates from the 13 August election. The cabinet named in the coming days will shape the term.
By The Zambian Economist Analyst | Lusaka | 1 September 2026
Key Takeaways
- President Hakainde Hichilema took the oath of office for his second term before Chief Justice Mumba Malila at National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka on Tuesday, 1 September 2026.
- Mutale Nalumango was sworn in as Vice-President at the same ceremony, which closed with a presidential guard of honour, a flypast and a 21-gun salute.
- Presidents from Tanzania, Kenya, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana attended. China sent a representative at vice-president level, with senior envoys from the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Rwanda, Malawi and Eswatini.
- The mandate behind the ceremony is the Electoral Commission’s declared result: 2,965,326 votes, or 60.49%, against 1,856,217 for Brian Mundubile.
- The next fixed point is the cabinet: no more than 30 ministers, appointed from among Members of Parliament.
President Hakainde Hichilema was sworn in for a second five-year term on Tuesday, 1 September 2026, taking the oath of office before Chief Justice Mumba Malila at National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka. Mutale Nalumango took her oath as Vice-President at the same ceremony, and a presidential guard of honour, a flypast and a 21-gun salute marked the formal start of the term.
Thousands cheered from the terraces of the stadium where Hichilema first took office in August 2021. First Lady Mutinta Hichilema accompanied the President, dressed in white and red. The day had been declared a public holiday, and the ceremony closed an election period that began with the general vote on 13 August.
The oath converts the declared result into a constitutional mandate. Between the count and Tuesday’s ceremony sat a nationwide counting suspension, sealed courtrooms and a treason docket now standing at 18 accused, a stretch we charted in our ten-day review of the election aftermath.
The ceremony, in order
The state mounted the full format. The President was accorded a presidential guard of honour, which includes the national anthem, a flypast and a 21-gun salute. The oath of office was administered by Chief Justice Mumba Malila, and Mutale Nalumango followed by taking her oath as Vice-President, as thousands cheered from the terraces.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Event | Second-term inauguration of President Hakainde Hichilema |
| Date | Tuesday, 1 September 2026, declared a public holiday |
| Venue | National Heroes Stadium, Lusaka, capacity about 60,000 |
| Oath administered by | Chief Justice Mumba Malila |
| Vice-President | Mutale Nalumango, sworn in at the same ceremony |
| Ceremonial honours | Presidential guard of honour, national anthem, flypast, 21-gun salute |
| Electoral mandate | 2,965,326 votes, 60.49% (ECZ declared result) |
The guests on the terraces
Five sitting presidents attended: Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan, Kenya’s William Ruto, Namibia’s Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Zimbabwe’s Emmerson Mnangagwa and Botswana’s Duma Boko. China sent a representative at the level of Vice-President in the Chinese government. The United States, the United Arab Emirates, Rwanda, Malawi and Eswatini were among the countries that sent high-ranking representatives.
We set out what the guest list means for Zambia’s trade corridors, the Copperbelt and critical minerals interests in our report on the dignitaries. The short version: most of the governments represented in the stadium hold direct interests in the railways, border posts, power links and mining projects that will shape the next five years.
The mandate in numbers
The declared result gives Hichilema 2,965,326 votes, or 60.49%, against 1,856,217 for Brian Mundubile of the NRPUP. In the National Assembly, the UPND holds 160 of 278 seats against 76 for the NRPUP, a margin no by-election can threaten.
The edges of the election are still being contested. Six parliamentary results are before the Lusaka High Court, each on a 90-day clock, filed by two former ministers and four governing-party candidates. Mandevu constituency, which never received a declared winner, votes again on 24 September. On the criminal side, 18 people aligned to the NRPUP leadership now face treason charges.
None of that changes who was sworn in on Tuesday. It does mean the new term opens with the courts nearly as busy as the terraces.
What the second term starts with
The macro picture is calmer than the one Hichilema inherited in 2021. Debt restructuring is largely completed, inflation has cooled back towards the Bank of Zambia’s target range, and foreign reserves have been rebuilt.
The stubborn items sit on the other side of the ledger. Electricity supply remains unreliable. Poverty remains high. Food and transport prices still dominate household conversation, and the kwacha still sets the price of nearly everything imported.
An oath changes none of that. What it does is start the clock on the choices, beginning with which portfolios go to which hands.
What to watch
- The cabinet. Law allows no more than 30 ministers, appointed from among MPs. Our assessment points to selective continuity, with changes where electricity, farm spending and public delivery are under strain.
- The first sittings of the new Assembly. Six members whose elections are petitioned take their seats with cases open, and the cabinet must be drawn from among them.
- Mandevu, 24 September. The first fresh contest since the counting suspension gives the Electoral Commission a public test of its procedures.
- The 2027 budget cycle. Consultations on the 2027-2031 Medium-Term Revenue Strategy are already running, so the new finance team starts mid-stride.
The oath took minutes. The term runs to 2031. What happens between the two is the part Zambians will judge, starting with the names on the cabinet list.
Related reading
- Full Text: Hichilema’s Second Inaugural Address and What It Means for the Economy
- Zambia After the Oath: The Economic and Diplomatic Tests of Hichilema’s Second Term
- Hichilema Sworn In for Second Term as African Leaders Gather in Lusaka
- Hichilema’s Second Inauguration: Zambia Now Waits for the Cabinet That Will Define His Final Term
- Ten Days That Tested Zambia: Hichilema’s Re-election, Sealed Courts and a Cooling Inflation Rate
- Defence Chiefs Say HH Inauguration Preparations Are on Course
- Zambia Declares Tuesday, 1 September a Public Holiday for Hichilema’s Inauguration
- Six Parliamentary Seats Challenged Before the Lusaka High Court
- NRPUP Leaders Charged With Treason as Docket Rises to 18
- Zambia to Launch 2027–2031 Revenue Strategy Consultations on Thursday
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