06/05/2026
My dear people of Luano,
I come to you not with empty promises, not with bags of mealie meal bought yesterday, and not with the desperation of a man who sees Parliament as a paycheck. I come to you as one of you, Kennedy Chileshe, a son of this soil, standing before you with a heavy heart but a clear vision.
For fifteen years, we have had the same Member of Parliament. Fifteen years. Think about that. A child born the year he took office is now old enough to sit for their Grade 12 exams. And in all that time, what do we have to show for it? Potholes that have become graves. Clinics that remain promises . Schools without adequate infrastructure. Young men and women with certificates but no jobs. A constituency that has been treated as a personal estate, not a sacred trust.
And now, he is not embarrassed to ask for another term. Why? Because to him, this has never been about serving you. It has been about the title, the vehicle, the allowances, the status. He has confused being an MP with owning a constituency.
But Luano is not a business opportunity. It is a duty.
When I look at our land, its vastness, its beauty, its challenges, I do not see a problem. I see a calling. We need a clear-cut plan to harmonize this vastness: how we connect our remote areas to basic services, how we create opportunities where none exist, how we tackle the backlog of development that has been ignored for a decade and a half. We must be honest about where we are coming from, neglect, silence, and individual gain. We must face where we are, tired, hopeful, but running out of patience. And we must agree on where we ought to be, a constituency where no child walks ten kilometers for water, no mother delivers on a dirt floor, and no young person feels they must leave home to survive.
I am not here because I hate the incumbent. I am here because I love Luano more than I fear the fight.
I am ready to step up. I am ready to speak for you boldly, in Parliament, in the corridors of power, even when it is uncomfortable. But I will not be a lone voice. I will partner with you. Because development is not a solo performance. It is a chorus.
So when you go to choose the next MP, do not ask yourself, “Who has the most money?” Ask, “Who has the most heart?” Do not ask, “Who has been there the longest?” Ask, “Who has done the most with the time they were given?” Do not ask, “Who can buy my vote today?” Ask, “Who will remember my name tomorrow, not as a voter, but as a human being?”
I am Kennedy Chileshe, your UPND aspiring Member of Parliament. I am not perfect. But I am ready. And I will not treat your struggle as a stepping stone.
God bless Luano. Let us rise together.
Kennedy Chileshe
Upnd Aspiring Member of Parliament for Luano Constituency
