Zambia's Geographical Changes Since 2011 Promoted By Federalism

 

By Chils Kemptonian (September 2022)

 

From the time Michael Chilufya Sata was voted into Presidency, a lot of “Geographical Changes” have happened to the map of the nation of Zambia. Here’s a summary.

In 2011, before the September Election, Zambia had 72 Districts in total! But since then, Michael Sata implemented a lot of changes in society. After his unfortunate death, Edgar Lungu won the presidential by-election and continued the task and Zambia now has a total of 116 Districts as of 2018.

Michael Sata decided to “split” any district that he deemed as owning “too much land space” into multiple districts on top of generally believing that some towns deserved to have their own councils. Once several districts would be created, only one district would keep the name which has been in existence while the newly-declared districts would be given new names.

Generally, districts are to be named after a settlement or city found within its designated area. Like, “Lusaka District” is named after “Lusaka City” and “Lufwanyama District” is named after “Lufwanyama Town”.

Here is a list of all the districts that had beem divided into several districts:

Firstly, a new “Muchinga Province” was created by taking “Chama” from Eastern Province and “Nakonde; Isoka; Chinsali; Mpika” from Northern Province. Next, the number of districts was growing:

 

Muchinga Province

Chinsali District was split into two, and the new district is named “Shiwang’andu District”.

Isoka District was split into two, and the new district is named “Mafinga District”.

Mpika District was split into three, and the new districts are named “Kanchibiya District” and “Lavushimanda District”.

Lusaka Province

Kafue District was split into two, and the new district is named “Chilanga District”.

Chongwe District was split into two, and the new district is named “Rufunsa District”

Southern Province

Siavonga District was split into two, and and the new district is named “Chirundu District”.

Mazabuka District was split into two, and the new district is named “Chikankata District”.

Choma District was split into two, and the new district is named “Pemba District”.

Kalomo District was split into two, and the new district is named “Zimba District”.

Eastern Province

“Sinda District” was created by taking part of Petauke District” and part of “Katete District”.

Petauke District was split into two, and the new district is named “Lusangazi District”.

Chadiza District was split into two, and the new district is named “Vubwi District”.

Chipata District was split into three, and the new districts are named “Chipangali District” and “Kasenengwa District”.

Lundazi District was split into three, and the new districts are named “Lumezi District” and “Chasefu District”.

Luapula Province

Samfya District was split into three, and the new districts are named “Chifunabuli District” and “Lunga District”.

Mwense District was split into two, and the new district is named “Chipili District”.

Kawambwa District was split into two, and the new district is named “Mwansabombwe District”.

Mansa District was split into two, and the new district is named “Chembe District”.

Central Province

Serenje District was split into two, and the new district is named “Chitambo District”.

Mkushi District was split into two, and the new district is named “Luano District”.

Kapiri Mposhi District was split into two, and the new district is named “Ngabwe District”.

Chibombo District was split into two, and the new district is named “Chisamba District”.

Mumbwa District was split into two, and the new district is named “Shibuyunji District”.

North-Western Province

Solwezi District was split into three, and the new districts are named “Mushindamo District” and “Kalumbila District”.

Kabompo District was split into two, and the new district is named “Manyinga District”.

Mwinilunga District was split into two, and the new district is named “Ikelenge District”.

Northern Province

Luwingu District was split into two, and the new district is named “Lupososhi District”.

Mporokoso District was split into two, and the new district is named “Lunte District”.

Mbala District was split into two, and the new district is named “Senga District”.

Kaputa District was split into two, and the new district is named “Nsama District”.

Western Province

Senanga District was split into two, and the new district is named “Nalolo District”.

Kaoma District was split into three, and the new districts are named “Luampa District” and “Nkeyema District”.

Lukulu District was split into two, and the new district is named “Mitete District”.

Mongu District was split into two, and the new district is named “Limulunga District”.

Shang’ombo District was split into two, and the new district is named “Sioma District”.

Kalabo District was split into two, and the new district is named “Sikongo District”.

Sesheke District was split into three, and the new districts are named “Mwandi District” and “Mulobezi District”.

 

Any District of Zambia not mentioned here wasn’t touched or edited (remained with the same boundaries, names and land space allocation).

Taking into account all the “newly-named districts” and the older districts which have kept their names, Zambia has a total of 116 Districts as of 2018. On average, each “Big District” was being split into 2 to 3 “Small Districts”.

 

Federalism

President Michael Chilufya Sata did certain “edits” to Zambia’s map in 2012 with a vision that one day; Zambia would become a “Federal State”. So, on top of Creating the new “Muchinga Province”, he decided to take two districts away from “Southern Province”, namely “Itezhi-Tezhi District” and “Chirundu District”. “Itezhi-Tezhi District” was declared as part of “Central Province” while “Chirundu District” was declared part of “Lusaka Province”.

Chirundu District contains the “Chirundu Border Post” and the President thought that since “Southern Province” already had the “Kazungula Border” & “Victoria Falls Border”, the “Chirundu Border” could be credited to another province.

Itezhi-Tezhi District contains the “Itezhi-Tezhi Dam”, which produces some of Zambia’s electricity and the President thought that since “Southern Province” already had the “Kariba Dam”, which produces much of Zambia’s electricity, the “Itezhi-Tezhi Dam” could be credited to another province.

Then, in October 2021, after the demand of some Chiefs, President Hakainde Hichilema and his government officially reversed these two decisions. From the following month, “Itezhi-Tezhi District” & “Chirundu District” were re-declared as part of “Southern Province”.

As an extra, the government also decided in October 2021 to undo the decision to declare “Chama District” as part of “Muchinga Province”. From the following month, “Chama District”  was re-declared as part of “Eastern Province”, meaning that only districts that were formerly part of the “Northern Province” formed the “Muchinga Province”.