President Hakainde Hichilema has promised more social protection, agricultural support and public facilities for Milenge as he urged voters to back the UPND in Thursday’s general election.
President Hakainde Hichilema has pledged expanded social programmes and public services for residents of Milenge District in Luapula Province if the United Party for National Development retains office.
In a campaign message to Milenge residents, Hichilema thanked voters for their support and said his administration would pursue additional Social Cash Transfer assistance, Cash for Work opportunities, business support, schools, health facilities and agricultural programmes.
He did not provide Milenge-specific budgets, beneficiary targets or implementation dates for the proposed expansion.
“This Thursday go and vote for UPND so that together we can continue protecting the gains made this far for mother Zambia,” Hichilema said.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia has scheduled the general election for Thursday, 13 August 2026. The official campaign period closes on Wednesday, according to the ECZ election timetable.
Social-protection spending in 2026
Zambia’s 2026 economic programme targets about 1.5 million Social Cash Transfer beneficiaries, with regular payments maintained at K400 per month, according to the government’s commitments reported by the International Monetary Fund.
The Cash for Work programme was allocated K1 billion for 2026, with participating vulnerable households expected to receive K600 per month in exchange for short-term public works.
A UNICEF analysis found that the Cash for Work allocation was reduced from K2 billion in 2025 to K1 billion in 2026. It also raised concerns about uneven implementation, unclear beneficiary targets and the absence of the programme from the government’s 2027 and 2028 medium-term projections.
Hichilema’s Milenge message did not explain whether the promised expansion would require additional funding beyond the approved 2026 budget.
Development promises await local targets
The commitments on schools, health facilities, business opportunities and agricultural support were not accompanied by project lists or district-level targets.
Details would be needed to assess how many facilities are proposed, where they would be built and whether the projects are already included in national or Constituency Development Fund plans.
Milenge voters will cast ballots for the presidency, National Assembly and local-government positions on Thursday.
