Mutale Nalumango Appointed UPND Vice President

Former deputy speaker of the National Assembly, Mutale Nalumango, has been appointed vice president of the United Party for National Development, the opposition party has announced.

Writing on social media, UPND President Hakainde Hichilema welcomed Ms Nalumango to the position, boasting that she brought a “wealth of experience” of experience to the role through her time as deputy speaker and later minister of information during the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) administration. 

Ms Nalumango joined the UPND in 2013 and was instrumental in holding the party together as national chairperson during HH’s wrongful imprisonment in 2017. 

The appointment has sparked speculation as to whether Mr Hichilema will chose Ms Nalumango as his running mate for presidential elections in August.

Speaking on Diamond TV on Tuesday evening, Ms Nalumango said HH was free to chose anyone he wanted as his running mate and that she did not expect to be picked solely on the basis of her position within the party. 

UPND President Hakainde Hichilema and newly-appointed Vice President Mutale Nalumango