Zambia’s newly elected MPs have taken their oath ahead of the first sitting of the National Assembly. As the new Parliament prepares to get down to business, MakanDay is launching a dedicated space to follow what MPs say, what they do, how they vote — and why it matters to you.
Zambia’s newly elected Members of Parliament (MPs) have taken their Oath or Affirmation of Office, one of the final steps before the new National Assembly begins its business.
Under Standing Order No. 3, a member is required to present himself or herself before the Speaker to take the Oath or Affirmation of Office at least seven days before the first sitting of the National Assembly.
The ceremony therefore marks an important transition.
The election determined who will represent Zambians in Parliament. The oath commits those representatives to their new responsibilities. What comes next is the part that MakanDay believes deserves sustained public attention: what they actually do with that responsibility.
That is why we are launching House Business, a dedicated space in MakanDay Weekly for close and consistent coverage of Zambia’s National Assembly.
Every week, we will look beyond political speeches, party positions and the drama that sometimes dominates parliamentary coverage. We will follow the actual business of the House: the laws MPs consider, the questions they ask, the answers ministers give, the motions they move, the committees on which they serve and, where the record allows, how they vote.
We will also ask what all of this means beyond Parliament.
Because what happens in the National Assembly does not remain within its walls. Decisions made there can affect how public money is spent, how government is held accountable and ultimately the everyday lives of the people MPs have been elected to represent.
The 2026 election produced a new group of constituency representatives from across Zambia, drawn from political parties as well as independents. The election records provide a starting point: they tell us who contested and who emerged as the elected representative in each constituency.
House Business begins where that election record ends.
Who is your MP? What are they saying in Parliament? What issues are they raising on behalf of their constituency? Are they participating in the work of the House and its committees?
What legislation are they supporting or opposing? When Parliament makes a decision that affects you, what position did your representative take? And when MPs make claims in the House, what does the evidence say?
These are questions citizens should be able to answer throughout the life of a Parliament — not only when politicians return to ask for their votes.
Making Parliament easier to follow
Parliamentary business can be difficult to navigate. The National Assembly operates through Standing Orders and procedures, and terms such as motions, petitions, questions, points of order, divisions, readings and committee stages can make an institution belonging to the public appear remote from it.
House Business will help bridge that gap.
When procedure is important, we will explain what the Standing Orders say. When a Bill comes before Parliament, we will explain its important provisions and what they could mean.
When ministers answer questions, we will examine those answers.
When MPs debate matters of public importance, we will separate political rhetoric from facts where we can.
And where the parliamentary record allows citizens to measure an MP’s words against their actions, we will put the two together.
Our purpose is not to tell readers what political position to take. It is to give them the information and context they need to judge the performance of the people exercising public power in their name.
A record that grows with Parliament
This will not be a one-week exercise.
Over the life of this National Assembly, House Business intends to build a public record of parliamentary activity that allows readers to follow not only the big political moments, but also the less dramatic work through which Parliament performs its functions.
Government MPs will be scrutinised. Opposition MPs will be scrutinised. Independent MPs will be scrutinised. And the expanded categories of representation in the new National Assembly will form part of that scrutiny.
The standard will be the same: What does the record show?
The MPs have taken their oath. The first sitting and the business of the new National Assembly lie ahead. As the House prepares to begin its business, so do we.
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