IT has taken Credo Nanjuwa almost three decades to actively participate in politics. It has finally paid off because Mr Nanjuwa is now Mumbwa Central Member of Parliament.
Although he never discussed his political ambitions with anyone, he secretly admired the adrenaline that comes with being a politician. He also felt politics was about serving, and serving was his passion.
During his secondary school days at Bwacha in Kabwe, Mr Nanjuwa was being kept by his brother and fondly followed the political journey of the late Christon Tembo, who was the then leader of the opposition Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD).
“I never used to talk about politics or share my political views with anybody. Whilst in secondary school, I lived in Kabwe’s Chindwin barracks. I had a belief that military personnel make good leaders so I believed in General Tembo’s ideologies,” he said.
By 2001, Mr Nanjuwa started believing in the ideologies of the Late Anderson Kambela Mazoka, the then United Party for National Development (UNPD) president, and he became a sympathiser.
His passion for UPND continued even after Mazoka’s death as he has been supporting Hakainde Hichilema.
He then secretly started supporting party programmes in his home village in Nanjuwa Village under Chief Muwezwa in Itezhi Tezhi district.
It was in 2006 when he actively took part in campaigns that saw Godfrey Beene win the Itezhi Tezhi seat.
“I publicly showed my political ambitions in 2006 in Itezhi Tezhi in Nyambo ward in our chiefdom when I campaigned for Godfrey Beene until he won the seat under UNPD,” he said.
Looking at the proximity of Mumbwa and Itezhi Tezhi constituencies, Mr Nanjuwa hoped that Mumbwa, too, could be under UNPD but his wishes could not come true.
“In the same year (2006) UPND lost in Mumbwa to the MMD and it was so painful for me because the distance between these two constituencies is nothing. So since then, I decided to shift my attention to Mumbwa and I revived the party structures until UPND became a formidable force in Mumbwa,” he said.
As one of the champions of the birth of UPND in Mumbwa, Mr Nanjuwa continued to play a leading role in events and party issues across the constituency in Mumbwa, as a sponsor for various women empowerment projects, soccer clubs and sometimes traditional events.
All this helped him build UPND in Mumbwa constituency and because of his sense of urgency when attending to people’s needs in Mumbwa, Mr Nanjuwa started getting a push to stand for MP in Mumbwa in 2011.
But because he was not ready, he could not take up the challenge until 2016 when he stood and scooped the seat.
This already challenging task has been made all the more difficult by the various needs that the electorate in the area need solutions to.
But Mr Nanjuwa hopes that his unique experience in handling people’s needs in the party in the past will help him again as he represents the people of Mumbwa in the National Assembly.
“I have seen Mumbwa and checked what is required and that is what prompted me to join politics because I want to serve the people of Mumbwa. The area is a farming area but with lots of challenges. The town, too, needs serious attention,” he said.
“What I will do differently for the people in Mumbwa is to ensure that the town receives a facelift. I have known Mumbwa from childhood but the town still looks the same, Mumbwa has no roads, it only has one road and the road is concentrated. We have no better market in this area and feeder roads, too,” he said.
Another task on his diary is scaling up agribusiness in Mumbwa and making the area the next growth frontier for the country as a whole.
He said if agribusiness is given priority, it could change the face of Mumbwa and offer employment and reduce poverty in the area.
The challenge ahead of Mr Nanjuwa is huge and all eyes of the people of Mumbwa are on him.
Born on September 11, 1970, Mr Nanjuwa went to Munga Primary School in Itezhi Tezhi and did his secondary school in Kabwe at Bwacha Secondary school.
Upon completion, Mr Nanjuwa went to National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA), where he did accountancy and business management high level diploma level six.
He then worked for an accounting firm from 1993-1999 when he resigned and started his own business and also ventured into ranching.
Mr Nanjuwa is married to Maureen Himbondo and they have five children.
For him, politics is about service and from the time he showed interest in politics, he says he has learnt a lot.
“Politics can be enormously fun and satisfying. Politics can be thrilling and exciting as well as uplifting. I am into politics to serve the people of Mumbwa and leave a legacy.” PUBLISHED IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL ON OCTOBER 2, 2016. https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/?p=81323
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