Independent candidate Iris Kaingu has won the Mwandi Constituency parliamentary seat, defeating the ruling UPND candidate, Sibeso Sefulo.
Returning Officer Nowa Nowa has declared Kaingu as duly elected MP for Mwandi after polling 6,595 votes compared to Sefulo who obtained 6,110.
Kaingu, who had previously joined the UPND, was left out of the party’s adoption process after the party opted to back Sefulo, who has now lost the election.
Kaingu is the daughter of former Mwandi Member of Parliament and former Education Minister Michael Kaingu, who represented the constituency for two terms.
During the campaign period, Kaingu faced criticism from some UPND supporters after deciding to contest the election as an independent candidate.
Despite reported attempts to persuade her to reconsider, Kaingu maintained that her decision reflected what she described as the will of the people.
By Gabriel Josias Muuba
