Veteran politician Chishimba Kambwili has publicly endorsed NRPUP presidential candidate Brian Mundubile and running mate Makebi Zulu, addressing a large rally in Mporokoso in Northern Province and urging opposition supporters to unite behind a single ticket to unseat the ruling UPND.
Kambwili, who is himself contesting the Roan parliamentary seat on a Citizens First ticket, told the crowd his focus was removing UPND from office rather than promoting his own party at this stage. He reminded residents that he had warned them against voting UPND back in 2021, framing the current cost-of-living pressures as vindication of that warning.
The endorsement is notable given Kambwili’s history of friction with Mundubile in the past, and adds a well-known political voice — one that dates back to the Sata and Lungu administrations — to the Tonse/NRPUP campaign as it pushes into Northern Province, traditionally seen as a UPND-Alliance stronghold. Analysts following the race say Mundubile’s rallies in Kitwe, Kabwe and now Mporokoso have injected fresh energy into what had been described as a fragmented opposition field, with the contest increasingly framed as a two-way race between Mundubile and incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema.
The Mporokoso rally also featured Citizens First’s Maxwell Chongu, who recently crossed over to join Mundubile’s campaign team, alongside continued NRPUP messaging on debt relief for civil servants and support for agriculture — themes Mundubile has repeated across his Northern Province tour ahead of the August 13 vote.
Sources: The Zambian Observer — Kambwili officially endorses Mundubile | The Zambian Observer — Kambwili joins forces in Mporokoso
