By 
Socialist Party (SP) president Dr, Fred M’membe, has expressed concern over the high poverty levels in Muchinga Province.
M’membe said it was saddening that the province had reported the highest proportion of the population that was poor at 82.6 percent.
The SP leader said this when he together with Shiwang’andu Constituency Patriotic Front (PF) Member of Parliament, Stephen Kampyongo, campaigned for their respective candidates for Mayembe ward by-election in Shiwang’andu district on Thursday.
He stated that the statistics by the Zambia Statistical Agency (ZAMSTATS) were worrying to leaders who meant well for the people.
“The two political parties have decided to work together in liberating the people from what they have termed as ‘total sufferings under the United Party for National Development (UPND) administration,” M’membe said
He claimed that poverty levels had risen in the two years of UPND in office and Muchinga Province was on top of the list as the poorest province in the country followed by Western and Northern Province was in the third position.
M’membe claimed that before UPND came into office, the poverty levels in the province stood at 69.3 percent, and was at number five.
He noted that in the last two and half years, the province had moved from number five to one and Northern Province was now number three with 78 percent.
“If you look at the top in terms of having high poverty levels in the country, Muchinga is on top, followed by Western, in the third position there is Northern, fourth is Luapula and on the firth is Eastern Province. Very few people will respect the poor people,” he stated
Meanwhile, Kampyongo boasted that the UPND was panicky after noticing that the PF and Socialist Party were working together during campaigns.
“You can see that they are in panic mode. They are now busy dishing out money and material things because they want to win this by-election,” he stated.
According to the poverty assessment in Zambia report conducted by ZAMSTATS together with its partners, Muchinga province had the highest proportion of the population that was poor at 82.6 percent, followed by Western and Northern provinces.
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