Chishala Kateka Quits Banking To Lead The Opposition New Heritage Party.
Saturday’s Personality Corner
Lusaka, Zambia.
As we get closer to the 2021 elections, more people with a passion to contribute to the growth of Zambia are joining the political battlefield with a view to get to State House.
One of such person is Ms. Chishala Kateka.She joins the likes of FDD Leader Edith Nawakwi, the second female candidate to appear on a ballot after late Gwendolyn Konie.
Ms. Konie, leader of the Social Democratic Party died in 2009, she contested the 2001 elections that ushered late President Levy Mwanawasa into office.
Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing to you the profile of Ms. Kateka, the new president of the opposition New Heritage Party.
She was a founder member of the Heritage Party under the leadership of former vice president Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda. She confirmed this to our team of Analysts.
“Yes it is, I was a founder member so when he de-registered it, we re-registered as New Heritage Party” she said.
Born on June 30, 1956, Ms Kateka holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Zambia.
She was appointed as Barclays Bank Zambia board chairperson in 2017 and became the first female to serve in that capacity on the bank’s board.
Before that Ms Kateka was an instrumental member of the Barclays Bank Zambia Plc Board on which she served as a Non-Executive Director from 2009 until her appointment.
She qualified in 1990 as a member of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (subsequently Association of Chartered Certified Accountants – ACCA), with Deloitte Haskins and Sells (subsequently Deloitte & Touché).
The work experience gained with Deloitte was varied ranging from the provision of audit and accountancy services to clients from all sectors of the economy and the conducting of in-house and client-training courses.
Ms Kateka had 12 years professional experience with the Deloitte practices in both Zambia and Botswana.
In 1994 she took over the running of the medium-sized firm of Bena Kateka and Company, which, in 1996, became part of Binder Dijker Otte (BDO) International, which operated in Zambia as BDO Kateka Evans Musonda (BDO-KEM) of which she became Managing Partner.
She was until May 2001 interim manager at Kafue Textiles of Zambia.
She was the principal consultant for the World Bank on the Copperbelt Economic Diversification Workshop Project after which she subsequently became the co-ordinator of the National Economic Diversification Programme in Zambia – a project co-funded by the World Bank and the Zambian Government.
Ms Kateka was also Principal Consultant for the World Bank on the 2002 Consultative Group meeting in Livingstone, Zambia.
Until her retirement in February 2014, Ms Kateka was Managing Director of ZAMNET Communication Systems Ltd.
She sits on various boards including the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants, The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and Nico Insurance.
Politically
Ms. Kateka may not be publicly a well known figure in the Zambian political landscape. She has kept a low profile in politics not until now when as she comes out to lead the New Heritage Party, a party once under former vice president retired Brigaider General Godfrey Miyanda.
Ms. Kateka, is a visionary Leader, a Transformational Economist, A fearless executive, a goal getter and off course a powerful woman of God.
She has a strong passion for Zambia, to see it that the country is liberated from the yoke of poverty and corruption.
She wrote on her facebook page that when Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda de-registered the Heritage Party. Some founder members of that party including myself have since re-registered it under the name “The New Heritage Party”.
“I am leading the party. I wish to announce that we will be contesting the 2021 General elections with myself as a Presidential candidate” she said.
The Speech Analyst