The Litunga’s Prime Minister has stepped down to attend to personal and family matters, and the Barotse Royal Establishment says he was not pushed. An acting Ngambela is in place until a successor is named, and that successor will inherit the institution’s working relationship with Lusaka.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Mukela Manyando has retired as Ngambela, Prime Minister to the Litunga of Barotseland, Lubosi Imwiko II.
- Acting Ngambela Muchezi Kalonga told a press briefing in Limulunga that Mr Manyando left to focus on personal and family matters, and said he had not been fired.
- Mr Manyando was installed in 2000 as the first Ngambela of the current Litunga’s reign. Earlier press reports record a break in his service between 2006 and 2019.
- Induna Ingangwana credited him with promoting unity, peace and reconciliation, and with closer cooperation between traditional leadership and central government.
- The BRE has not said when a substantive Ngambela will be named.
Mukela Manyando has retired as Ngambela of the Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE), ending his tenure as Prime Minister to His Majesty the Litunga, Lubosi Imwiko II. The announcement was made at a press briefing in Limulunga by the Acting Ngambela, Muchezi Kalonga.
Mr Kalonga said Mr Manyando had retired to focus on personal and family matters. He was direct on the point most people in Western Province will ask about: Mr Manyando, he said, has not been fired.
What the BRE said
The BRE commended its former Ngambela for his contribution to safeguarding the kingship and to the development of the traditional institution. Mr Kalonga said Mr Manyando had served the institution for twenty years since his installation in 2000.
Induna Ingangwana said Mr Manyando would be remembered for promoting unity, peace and reconciliation, and for strengthening cooperation between traditional leadership and the central government.
Speaking separately, Mr Manyando urged his successor to take seriously the duty of protecting the kingship of Barotseland and to preserve its culture and traditions.
What does the Ngambela do?
The Ngambela is the Litunga’s Prime Minister and the most senior official in the Barotse Royal Establishment after the Litunga himself. The office heads the Kuta, the traditional council, and is the BRE’s main point of contact with government, development partners and anyone else seeking to do business with the institution.
That makes the post more than ceremonial. Large parts of Western Province sit on customary land, and roads, tourism concessions, agricultural schemes and other projects there generally need the support of the traditional authority to move forward.
Two spells in office
Mr Manyando was the first Ngambela appointed under Lubosi Imwiko II, who became Litunga in 2000. Earlier reporting by the Zambian Observer records that he left the post on 11 October 2006 and was reinstated on 17 January 2019. On that record, his combined time as Ngambela comes to about 14 years. The BRE’s figure of twenty years appears to describe his wider service to the institution, and the BRE has not set out the breakdown.
His second term covered a period in which the BRE kept a cooperative public posture towards government. In August 2026 the Litunga was among the traditional leaders who congratulated President Hakainde Hichilema on his re-election, and the BRE’s Mwandi Kuta publicly welcomed the Livingstone to Sesheke road project and called for cooperation with contractors.
Why the succession matters beyond Limulunga
Western Province has long recorded some of the highest poverty rates in ZamStats household surveys, and much of the investment interest in it now runs through infrastructure, the Zambezi floodplain and tourism. Proposals such as African Rivers’ plan for lift bridges, canal restoration and a data centre in Barotseland depend on the BRE being a willing and predictable partner.
For investors, contractors and government departments, the practical question is continuity. A new Ngambela will set the tone of the BRE’s dealings with State House, line ministries and private developers. The Kuta’s choice will show whether the institution keeps the cooperative approach Induna Ingangwana credited to Mr Manyando.
What happens next
Muchezi Kalonga will act as Ngambela until a substantive appointment is made. The BRE did not give a timeline for naming a successor at the briefing.
The Zambian Economist will follow the appointment and what it means for development projects in Western Province.
Related: Litunga, Senior Chief Mweemba Congratulate Hichilema on Re-Election.
Related: BRE’s Mwandi Kuta Welcomes Livingstone to Sesheke Road Project, Calls for Cooperation.
Related: Independent MP Iris Kaingu Takes Mwandi Seat: What Her Win Means for Western Province’s Economy.
Related: African Rivers Proposes Lift Bridges, Canal Restoration and a Data Centre for Barotseland.
Hub: Leadership & Governance.
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