Dr Canisius Banda, Former UPND Vice President and PF Health Chairman, Dies

Dr Canisius Banda, a medical doctor, public health specialist and one of Zambian politics' most outspoken figures over the past decade, has died, his family has confirmed.

Details surrounding the cause of his death were not immediately available by press time, and family members and authorities were yet to issue a comprehensive statement. MUVI TV will update this report as more information is confirmed.

A TRAINED DOCTOR WHO MOVED INTO POLITICS

Banda trained as a medical doctor at the University of Zambia and went on to earn a master's degree in public health, later lecturing at UNZA and other institutions.

He built an early public profile as spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, a role that put him alongside Hakainde Hichilema years before either man held national office.

He rose within the then-opposition UPND to become the party's Vice President for Politics, serving as one of Hichilema's closest lieutenants through the party's 2011 and 2016 election campaigns.

He often described himself as instrumental in broadening the party's appeal beyond its traditional base, saying he had helped counter perceptions that the UPND was a tribally exclusive party.

A VOCAL EXIT, AND A SECOND ACT IN THE PF

Banda's time in the UPND ended acrimoniously. In September 2016, Hichilema suspended him as Vice President for Politics over media statements the party described as inflammatory and defamatory toward fellow senior members, giving him seven days to respond.

Banda contested the circumstances of his departure at the time, denying reports that he had been paid to defect, even suggesting he was positioned to succeed Hichilema as UPND leader.

Within months, however, he had joined the Patriotic Front, where he was appointed the party's National Chairman for Health, later Chairperson for Health, a post he held for years afterward.

From that position, Banda became one of the most consistent public critics of the government he had once served, at one point saying he had helped remove "the stench of tribalism" from Hichilema's leadership only to be repaid with hostility.

In recent months, he continued to give frequent interviews and pen commentary attacking the UPND administration's record, including a piece published as recently as May 2025 declaring the party a failure on governance and the economy, and remarks given to reporters just this week in which he said he would be pleased to see Hichilema lose the coming election.

Banda's death comes in the middle of a hard-fought general election campaign, with Zambians due to vote on 13 August 2026.