Nkandu Luo Named As Lungu’s Running Mate

President Edgar Lungu has named Minister of Fisheries and Livestock Nkandu Luo as his running mate in the August general elections, with both filing their official nomination forms on Monday morning.  

Dr Luo is a scientist with a PhD in Microbiology, who formerly worked in AIDS research at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka. She was first elected to parliament for Mandevu constituency in 1996, as part of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy party.

She served as Health Minister under President Frederick Chiluba in 1999 and then as Minister for Transport and Communications from 1999 to 2001, before losing her seat in the 2001 election.

Dr Luo joined the Patriotic Front in 2011, becoming an MP for Munali constituency and serving under President Sata as Minister of Local Government and Housing until 2014. 

In 2016, Luo secured her re-election bid for Munali constituency but was accused of sponsoring violence by PF cadres in the lead up to polling day. Her UPND rival, Doreen Mwamba, accused Luo in the Constitutional Court of having facilitated an attack against a UPND campaign bus in Munali, which led to several injuries.

Nevertheless, upon being re-elected Luo was appointed by President Lungu to the position of Higher Education Minister. While in office, she was responsible for the temporary closure of Copperbelt University in 2019, which came in response to student protests against PF cuts to educational grants. 

Luo was quickly moved to her most recent posting at the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, where she has remained until the dissolution of parliament last week.