MAIDEN SPEECH FOR MR SICHULA MUKWAVI CHANGALA, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR SENGA HILL CONSTITUENCY

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF ZAMBIA

Parliament Buildings

P.O Box 31299

Lusaka

www.parliament.gov.zm

MAIDEN SPEECH FOR MR SICHULA MUKWAVI CHANGALA, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR SENGA HILL CONSTITUENCY

 RESEARCH DEPARTMENT              

OCTOBER, 2026  

Madam Speaker,

I stand before this August House for the first time, deeply humbled and sincerely grateful to the 126,308 people of Senga Hill for entrusting me with the responsibility of representing their voices, aspirations and struggles in this House.

I bring warm greetings from all the traditional leadership of Senga Hill in particular kuku Senior Chief Nsokolo and ya TATA YA Mpande and all their Royal Highnesses that preside over Senga Hill.

From Mwiluzi ward, to Chozi, Chimbili, to Chela, Chinyika, to Mukololo, to Lapisha, to Luombe, and Ipembe and to Malamba it is an honour to wield power on your behalf in the National Assembly of Zambia.

Madam Speaker,

I cannot stand before this House without honouring the pillars who carried us through this journey:

     i.         the churches: You prayed without ceasing, and preached peace during a tense season. You kept us grounded in love, faith and unity;

    ii.         our Headmen and Headwomen: You mobilised our people, protected our message, and stood firm as the true custodians of our land and traditions. This victory belongs to you;

  iii.        our mothers and sisters: You gave us shelter and food. You opened your homes to us when we had nowhere to sleep, you cooked for us and fed the struggle, you our sustained our mission, and you carried us to victory. This victory is yours, too; and

  iv.        our youth, the young men and women who stood up to defend our call to challenge the status quo to you I owe my deepest gratitude.

Madam Speaker,

We congratulate the Republican President, and Her Honour the Vice President on their re- election.

Further, we extend our congratulations to you, Madam Speaker, together with the 1^st and the 2^nd Deputy Speakers on your election, and congratulations to all Honourable Members of Parliament.

Additionally, Madam Speaker, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to my family for all the prayers and support, in particular Ya Nachula na ya Sichula. Ya tata ya David Mukwavi, you would have been proud to see me representing the people of Senga Hill. You believed in me when it was not fashionable to do so, and you stood by my cause when it mattered most. Sadly, death took you before voting day, but your belief and support will never be forgotten. Even in death, you are loved, remembered and cherished.  Mayo Mpoli, I have not found the right words yet.

Further, I wish to thank my campaign team led by the capable Counsel Jameson Kachimwa, Killian Viombelo Sichalwe, Crisfold Sitima, Robert Katyeka Sikaona, Emmanuel Sinkala, Josphat Sikanyika, and all our dedicated patriots who led us to victory, to you I owe my greatest gratitude. to my predecessors Honourable Kapembwa Simbao and Honourable Henry Sikazwe for your service in our land and I shall build on the foundation you have laid.

Madam Speaker, my people did not send me here to praise myself. They sent me with one instruction: To put their needs first!

Health

Senga Hill has 32 health facilities but only 281 health workers against an establishment of 647, while 16 facilities have no electricity, forcing nurses to deliver babies by torchlight even in 2026. Our District Hospital is merely a health Centre in a new name, operating on land too small for expansion and overwhelmed by deplorable conditions. Through you, Madam Speaker, I appeal to Government to construct a new District Hospital, provide solar power to the 16 unelectrified clinics, supply motorbikes for outreach services, and fill the vacant positions.

Agriculture

Madam Speaker, Senga Hill was named the Most Productive District in Northern Province in 2025, producing 71,131 metric tonnes of maize and 48,004 metric tonnes of beans. However, only 18 of our 31 agricultural camps are staffed, and we receive just 11,500 input packs against over 52,000 eligible farmers. With El Niño threatening other parts of the country, I appeal to Government to consider reallocating additional inputs to Senga Hill to help compensate for losses elsewhere. Our Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock departments also lack vehicles, armyworm affected more than half our households last season, and only 150 of 2,000 hectares suitable for irrigation are irrigated. Further, despite our agricultural potential, Senga Hill has no FRA office, forcing farmers to travel up to 244 kilometres to Kasama, or 80 kilometres to Mbala, merely to correct a spelling error in the database.

Water

Madam Speaker, Senga Hill has no piped water system, forcing our mothers to walk kilometers in search of unsafe water and our girls to miss school, particularly in Chimbili, Chinyika, Luombe and Chozi. Our clinics also lack running water for safe deliveries, despite the ever-flowing Chozi River. I commend Senga Hill Town Council for commencing water reticulation in three wards, but the project must cover the entire Constituency. I therefore appeal for solar-powered boreholes and clean, safe piped water in every school and clinic, because without water, there can be no health, no agriculture and no Grow Zambia.

Roads

Madam Speaker, apart from the main tarred road passing through Senga Hill to Nakonde, the Constituency has no other tarred roads or township roads. During the rainy season, Chela Ward is cut off from Chozi and Ipembe Ward from Chimbili, delaying fertiliser deliveries and causing maize production losses. These impassable roads also prevent sick mothers from accessing Government health services at various health posts.

Administration, Education and Youth

Madam Speaker, ten years after attaining district status, Senga Hill still lacks a District Administration block, while Manje Boarding School remains incomplete after a decade. We commend Government for prioritising education and appeal for a skills training centre, as the Constituency has neither a college nor a skills training centre. We also call for a Youth Agro-Enterprise Fund to support young people in agricultural businesses. Furthermore, we urge Government to disburse CDF funds expeditiously, as some students are stranded at college without food and risk missing examinations because their fees remain unpaid.

Conclusion

The President has pledged to improve living standards in his second term. This must be felt not in Lusaka alone, but in Senga Hill, through safe childbirth, clean water and skills training that gives our young people opportunities at home.

Give us a new District Hospital, and we will build a healthier workforce; give us passable roads, and we will work towards producing 200,000 metric tonnes of maize; give us clean water, and our children will stay in school; give us a skills college, and we will produce the skilled workforce Zambia needs under the Grow Zambia Agenda.

Madam Speaker, ten years after Senga Hill became a district, we still lack a District Administration block, township roads, piped water and a college. Our people cannot wait another ten years for these basic services. We are not asking for special treatment, but our fair share of development. Put our needs first, and we will turn investment into productivity and prosperity for Zambia. Put Senga Hill first, and we will put Zambia first.

MADAM SPEAKER, I THANK YOU!

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