The second inauguration of Hakainde Hichilema, Lusaka, 1 September 2026. Photo: Icem4k via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Ruto attends as Hichilema sworn in amid Zambia election dispute.
Hakainde Hichilema was sworn in for a second five-year term as President of Zambia on Tuesday, 1 September 2026, at National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka, with President William Ruto among the heads of state in attendance.
Botswana's Duma Boko and Zimbabwe's Emmerson Mnangagwa also attended, alongside delegations from the United States, China and Tanzania.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia declared Hichilema the winner of the 13 August election with about 60 per cent of the vote. His main rival, Brian Mundubile, took about 38 per cent and alleges the vote was rigged.
"We have heard you," Hichilema told opposition voters in his inauguration speech. "We receive your support with humility and with a clear understanding of the responsibility it places upon our shoulders."
Treason charges and closed courts
Mundubile and his running mate Makebi Zulu have been arrested and charged with treason, which both deny. AP reports they are being held at Mukobeko Maximum Security Prison after surrendering on 24 August, having earlier sought refuge at a UN facility. Around a dozen opposition figures who questioned the result have been arrested.
Human Rights Watch criticised the closure of the courts as the deadline for election petitions approached. The European Union's observer mission said the vote was "held on an uneven playing field" and raised concerns about transparency in the tabulation of results.
Mutale Nalumango was sworn in as vice-president. Hichilema pledged to build on the debt restructuring and lower inflation achieved in his first term.
Sources: Al Jazeera; AP via ABC News; Al Jazeera (2 Sep)
That was a Kibra News Network report, read by an A I voice.
Hakainde Hichilema was sworn in for a second five-year term as President of Zambia on Tuesday, 1 September 2026, at National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka, with President William Ruto among the heads of state in attendance.
Botswana’s Duma Boko and Zimbabwe’s Emmerson Mnangagwa also attended, alongside delegations from the United States, China and Tanzania.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia declared Hichilema the winner of the 13 August election with about 60 per cent of the vote. His main rival, Brian Mundubile, took about 38 per cent and alleges the vote was rigged.
“We have heard you,” Hichilema told opposition voters in his inauguration speech. “We receive your support with humility and with a clear understanding of the responsibility it places upon our shoulders.”
Treason charges and closed courts
Mundubile and his running mate Makebi Zulu have been arrested and charged with treason, which both deny. AP reports they are being held at Mukobeko Maximum Security Prison after surrendering on 24 August, having earlier sought refuge at a UN facility. Around a dozen opposition figures who questioned the result have been arrested.
Human Rights Watch criticised the closure of the courts as the deadline for election petitions approached. The European Union’s observer mission said the vote was “held on an uneven playing field” and raised concerns about transparency in the tabulation of results.
Mutale Nalumango was sworn in as vice-president. Hichilema pledged to build on the debt restructuring and lower inflation achieved in his first term.
KNN Newsroom is the staff byline for stories written, rewritten and edited at the Kibra News Network desk. Where a story credits an outside outlet, the original source is linked at the foot of the piece.
