Hunger hits Kamwendo area of Lavushimanda District, Muchinga Province
Lavushimanda, February 5, 2025, ZANIS—Severe hunger has hit Kamwendo area in the valley area in Lavushimanda District of Muchinga Province, affecting about 2,900 people across six villages.
And preparations are underway by the government to deliver relief maize to the over 2000 people who are now depending on pumpkin and cassava leaves for survival.
This came to light when Muchinga Province Permanent Secretary Henry Mukungule held a meeting with some residents of Kamwendo and members of the District Disaster Management Committee (DDMC) at the District Commissioner’s office in Lavushimanda recently.
Mr Mukungule, accompanied by Muchinga Province Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) Regional Coordinator Michael Muyoba, said his office had received a report from the District Disaster Management Committee in Lavushimanda regarding the hunger situation in Kamwendo area.
According to the Permanent Secretary, the hunger situation is due to human-animal conflict and flush floods experienced in the area every farming season.
“Our coming here is to hear from you people following the report of hunger in Kamwendo area which you presented and also to come and verify these reports from the affected people,” Mr Mukungule said.
During the same meeting, it was revealed that close to 500 households in Kamwendo are severely hunger-stricken from six villages with a population of over 2,900 people.
And Mr Mukungule stated that the situation must be treated as an emergency in order to assist the people of Kamwendo with relief food by any means despite the bad road network to the area adding that President Hakainde Hichilema has indicated that no one must die of hunger in the country.
Meanwhile, Muchinga Province DMMU Regional Coordinator Michael Muyoba
said his office was in the district to ascertain the extent of the hunger situation so that they plan and put resources together to start the distribution of relief food to Kamwendo area.
“Our coming here is on a fact-finding mission following reports of hunger in Kamwendo area and to ascertain the extent of the hunger situation, like how serious the situation is, how many people are affected and how long will they need the relief food,” Mr Muyoba said.
And Lavushimanda District Commissioner, Terris Kunda added that the hunger situation is similar in some parts of Chiundaponde Chiefdom in the Bangweulu
wetlands where people have no maize due to flush floods and human-animal conflict.
Meanwhile, Mupamadzi Ward Councillor, Kennedy Mwansa said the hunger situation in Kamwendo is serious as people do not have maize and this is an ongoing problem since people cultivate along the stream and their crops get washed away by floods and destroyed by elephants.
“The hunger situation in Kamwendo is a year in year out situation and these people will always need relief food from Government,” He said.
And one of the residents in Kamwendo, Maybin Malama explained that most people in the area do not have food and are depending on pumpkin and cassava leaves for survival.
He described the hunger situation as critical, forcing many children to stop going to school especially in Kamwendo, Takala, Isaki, Mutumba, Chitala, and Mumbi Malisasa villages.
“Right now, we only eat cassava and pumpkin leaves because no one has maize in their homes and this has even forced most of our children to stop going to school,” He said.
Kamwendo is a valley area located about 400 kilometers from the current Lavushimanda Town in Mununga and the area is situated between the Muchinga escarpment and the South Luangwa National Park, making access to the area difficult due to the deplorable state of the road through the park.
