ELECTION WATCH | Volunteers Seek Clarity After Employment Announcement at UPND Rally

By Pride Nyirenda | Luanshya, Copperbelt Province

When President Hakainde Hichilema addressed a UPND campaign rally at Mikomfwa Stadium in Luanshya recently, loud cheers erupted after he announced employment opportunities for volunteer teachers and health workers.

Addressing supporters, President Hichilema said:

The announcement has become one of Hichilema’s recurring messages on the campaign trail. For volunteers who have spent years waiting to be recruited into the public service, his words appear to offer something more immediate: hope that their long wait for formal employment could finally be coming to an end.

But after the cheering subsided, a more practical question emerged: what exactly had been announced?

Interviews conducted by MakanDay after the rally suggest that many attendees left uncertain about what the President’s remarks meant for them.

Several volunteer teachers and health workers told MakanDay they initially understood Hichilema’s remarks to mean they had secured employment.

But after the celebrations, many began asking when appointment letters would be issued and whether they had been formally recruited or were still expected to go through the government’s normal recruitment process.

Most requested anonymity, saying they feared possible repercussions for speaking publicly.

“When the President spoke about employment, we celebrated because we thought we had finally been considered. But after the rally, we started asking ourselves when we would receive appointment letters and what the next step would be,” one volunteer teacher said.

A volunteer health worker expressed similar uncertainty.

“We have been waiting for employment for a long time. We just want to know whether this means we are already employed or whether we should continue waiting for the official recruitment process,” the volunteer said.

MakanDay also examined how some of the volunteers came to attend the rally.

Interviews with attendees indicate that volunteer teachers and health workers travelled from several districts, including Mpongwe and Masaiti, to Luanshya. Some said they travelled approximately 64 kilometres from Mpongwe.

A UPND district official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly, said the party arranged transport for volunteers attending the rally. The official also said mobilisation funds were channelled through UPND provincial structures to support preparations for the event.

Several volunteers interviewed by MakanDay confirmed that transport had been organised for them.

However, the more significant question emerging from MakanDay’s reporting is what understanding volunteers took away from the rally.

While many interviewed believed the announcement meant employment had been secured, none was able to explain when recruitment would formally begin, whether appointment letters would follow immediately, or what administrative process remained before employment could be confirmed.

MakanDay has not independently verified whether the President’s remarks constituted an immediate offer of employment or an announcement of future recruitment. Questions have been sent to the relevant government authorities seeking clarification on the recruitment process, timelines and whether the volunteers who attended the rally are among those expected to be employed.

For thousands of volunteer teachers and health workers who have waited years for government jobs, that clarification may be as important as the announcement itself.