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Ngambela Mukela Manyando Retires; BRE Says He Was Not Fired

The Zambian Economist — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 10:19:08 +0000

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.

By The Zambian Economist Analyst

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.

Hub: Leadership & Governance.

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BRE’s Mwandi Kuta Welcomes Livingstone–Sesheke Road Project, Calls for Cooperation

The Zambian Economist — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 19:04:18 +0000

Mwandi Kuta has welcomed the start of works on the Livingstone–Sesheke M10 Road after years of appeals for its rehabilitation, while questioning the proposed allocation of five kilometres of road works per district along the route.

By The Zambian Economist Analyst

Key takeaways

Mwandi Kuta of the Barotse Royal Establishment has welcomed the commencement of works on the Livingstone–Sesheke M10 Road, describing the project as long overdue.
Induna Omei told a stakeholder meeting in Mwandi that the road has remained in poor condition despite serving as a critical transport and trade corridor connecting communities and neighbouring countries.
The BRE raised concern over the proposed allocation of only five kilometres of road works per district, arguing that communities along the route have endured the poor road for years.
The BRE pledged cooperation with the contractor, including facilitating access to land for project facilities and identifying quarry sites and borrow pits.
Traditional land should be treated as a resource for development, not an obstacle: “Land is there for development,” Induna Omei said.

The Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE), through Mwandi Kuta, has welcomed the commencement of works on the Livingstone–Sesheke M10 Road, describing the long-awaited project as a major opportunity for economic development in Mwandi and the wider Western Province.

File photo.

Years of calls

For many years, Mwandi Kuta, together with Senior Chief Anañanga Imwiko, has consistently called for the construction and rehabilitation of the Livingstone–Sesheke Road, highlighting its importance to the people of Mwandi and communities along the route.

Speaking during a stakeholder engagement meeting held on Wednesday at the Catholic Church Hall in Mwandi, Induna Omei said the road had remained in poor condition for many years despite being a critical transport and trade corridor connecting communities and neighbouring countries.

He said the commencement of works was therefore welcome and long overdue, noting that a properly rehabilitated road would improve transportation, stimulate economic activity, open up opportunities for local businesses and improve the movement of people and goods.

A trade corridor, not just a road

The route matters beyond Mwandi district. It runs from Livingstone, Zambia’s tourist capital, to Sesheke on the border with Namibia, placing it on one of the paths cargo takes between Zambian markets and the port of Walvis Bay, part of the wider network of trade corridors Zambia has been working to strengthen. A road in poor condition on that stretch translates into higher vehicle operating costs, slower turnaround times for transporters and higher prices for goods reaching communities along the way.

Concern over the works allocation

However, the BRE raised concern over the proposed allocation of only five kilometres of road works per district, arguing that communities across the route have endured the effects of the poor road for many years.

The establishment has called for continued engagement between Government, the contractor and local stakeholders to ensure that the concerns of affected communities are adequately addressed.

Cooperation and land

Induna Omei also assured the contractor of the BRE’s cooperation and support, including facilitating access to land required for project facilities and identifying suitable sources of construction materials, such as quarry sites and borrow pits. That offer has practical weight: quarry sites and borrow pits sourced near the route keep construction inputs local and reduce haulage costs.

The BRE further urged Government, traditional leaders, local authorities and communities to work together and put development ahead of disagreements.

Induna Omei stressed that traditional land should not be viewed as an obstacle to development, but as an important resource that can be made available for genuine projects that improve the lives of local people.

“Land is there for development,” Induna Omei said, urging stakeholders to embrace development and make decisions that will benefit present and future generations.

What it means for the corridor economy

For traders, transporters and tourism operators between Livingstone and Sesheke, the works are the difference between a corridor that functions and one that taxes everything that moves along it. The project also arrives amid wider interest in Western Province infrastructure, where proposals have included canal restoration and new crossings for Barotseland.

Mwandi itself enters this period with new representation, having returned Iris Kaingu as MP-elect in the August general election. The BRE has reaffirmed its commitment to working with Government, the contractor and other stakeholders to ensure the project delivers lasting economic and social benefits to the people of Mwandi, Western Province and the communities along the M10 corridor.

Related coverage

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Litunga, Senior Chief Mweemba Congratulate Hichilema on Re-Election

The Zambian Economist — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 16:52:00 +0000

The Litunga, Lubosi Imwiko II, and Senior Chief Mweemba of Sinazongwe have congratulated President Hakainde Hichilema on his re-election, with the Barotse Royal Establishment listing palaces, boarding schools and tertiary education among the region’s expectations for the second term.

By The Zambian Economist Analyst

Key Takeaways

The Litunga, Lubosi Imwiko II, has congratulated President Hakainde Hichilema on his re-election and says he looks forward to continued cooperation with the administration.
The message was conveyed through the Barotse Royal Establishment, whose Ngambela, Mukela Manyando, told ZNBC News the region expects progress on chiefs’ palaces, boarding schools and tertiary education opportunities.
Senior Chief Mweemba of Sinazongwe District also congratulated the President and urged him to keep promoting peace and respect for the rule of law.
Traditional leaders join foreign governments, the opposition and unions in the run of congratulations that has followed the 13 August election.

Two of Zambia’s most recognisable traditional authorities have added their voices to the congratulations greeting President Hichilema’s second term. The Litunga’s message was delivered through the Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE), the traditional governance structure of the Lozi people, in a statement issued to ZNBC News through Ngambela Mukela Manyando. Senior Chief Mweemba of Sinazongwe District in Southern Province spoke to the same broadcaster in a separate interview.

President Hichilema won re-election in the 13 August general election, and the messages have come in steadily since the result was declared, from four opposition candidates who conceded to foreign governments.

What the Litunga’s message says

The Litunga expressed delight at the outcome and looks forward to continued cooperation with the administration, according to the message conveyed by the BRE. The relationship is not new. The BRE passed on similar congratulations after Hichilema’s first win in 2021, and the President has made courtesy calls at the Lealui and Limulunga palaces during his first term.

The statement, delivered by Ngambela Manyando, set out where the region wants attention in the second term: construction of chiefs’ palaces, greater emphasis on boarding schools, and wider access to tertiary education opportunities for students from the region.

Senior Chief Mweemba’s appeal

Senior Chief Mweemba congratulated the President on a second term and urged him to continue promoting peace and respect for the rule of law across the country. He said his chiefdom appreciates the President’s commitment to national unity.

The chief also addressed citizens directly. He called on Zambians to work together as one people, saying the country’s development depends on it, and argued that living out the values behind the national motto of “One Zambia, One Nation” would strengthen the spirit of togetherness.

Why these voices carry weight in a second term

Traditional leaders administer much of Zambia’s land under customary tenure and act as the first point of contact between communities and government programmes. When they set out priorities in public, as the BRE has done with palaces and schools, they are also signalling how the legitimacy of the next five years will be judged at local level.

For Western Province, the asks are specific and measurable: palaces built, boarding schools resourced, and more young people from the region entering universities and colleges. That gives residents a checklist against which to hold both the BRE’s engagement and the government’s response.

The congratulations follow a campaign period in which the Litunga himself appealed to candidates to keep the peace, an appeal that appears to have held through voting day and the count.

Read our analysis of what the second term means for the economy and diplomacy: Hichilema’s Second Term: What It Means for Zambia’s Economy, Markets and Diplomacy, and Zambia’s Turnaround Won the Election. Now It Has to Deliver.

Editor’s note: The information in this report was obtained from ZNBC News coverage of the messages conveyed by the Barotse Royal Establishment and Senior Chief Mweemba of Sinazongwe. The article was rewritten by The Zambian Economist for publication. ZNBC News retains credit for the original reporting.

Also from Western Province: BRE’s Mwandi Kuta Welcomes Livingstone–Sesheke Road Project, Calls for Cooperation.

Related coverage: Read more from our Leadership & Governance and Election 2026 Economics sections.