12 Things UKA must address to become more formidable for 2026: Otherwise, political incest will injure & ruin PF more- Dr. Chris Zumani

12 Things UKA must address to become more formidable for 2026: Otherwise, political incest will injure & ruin PF more

By Dr. Chris Zumani Zimba

Introduction

As far as HH is concerned, UKA is his main headache for 2026 against him simply because it brings a proper PF-ECL rebranding to Zambians as well as diverse political stakeholders Coalition. UKA has blue, black, grey, yellow, blown, purple and white parties from different backgrounds. This has posed to be HH’s greatest threat and many top State House officials are sure that they will sign off in 2026 and retire in peace.

However, UKA is still far from being what most Zambians wants it to be or become the unstoppable threat to face and remove the UPND alliance and HH in 2026 because there are key issues that are unresolved and need to be bravely addressed on time. These include the following:

1. UKA must clearly define the nature of the alliance

Everyone has been made to believe that UKA is an alliance of registered political parties. This was welcomed and celebrated by many Zambians. But at some point, UKA was vehemently pushing to register itself as a political party! How and why for an alliance of political parties? Later, UKA appointed my good friend, Thomas Sipalo as its National Youth Chairman. From which political party? My brother is politically independent but forcefully good and politically visible!

Based on their own conduct as well as appointments, UKA is a political pressure group, some form of a defined political movement that is positioning itself into an electoral pact. UKA must clearly define its nature of organization. If it is unregistered political organization, an alliance of parties or an open organizations or movement of parties and individual citizens. A movement would be more appealing, useful and forceful for 2026. Once this question remains hanging, expect more problems at some point.

2. UKA must Undertake Political Stakeholders Mapping

The aforesaid will naturally birth coherent and comprehensive stakeholders mapping exercise. This will be crucial. UKA leaders must identify and list who are responsible members in Zambia, how they can approach and work with them for 2026. This exercise requires defining UKA as a political movement, not as an alliance of political parties only. Fortunately, most Zambian stakeholders are open and willing to support UKA in one way or another: directly or indirectly.

UKA must identify and stakeholders according to their vision and mission, their core objectives and mandate. Here, we are talking about political parties, churches, NGOs, unions, chiefs, scholars, activists, etc. While the core leadership of UKA may be anchored under political parties, it may be more useful to widen membership and embrace everyone willing or interested to join. This is very critical for UKA!

3. UKA must carefully define, clarify and broaden top leadership

Every time we see a new appointment in UKA, they always refer to the “Council of Presidents”. I have personally suffered smoked phone calls from many PF members, MPs and MCCs following two or three UKA appointments at the level of “Council of Presidents” with multiple complaints, furious questions and hill view concerns. Some complaints have come from those who are already in UKA but have been excluded to be part of “Council of Presidents”. How can leaders of political parties without any councilor or MP anywhere in Zambia start discriminating themselves between seniors and juniors? This is prevailing in UKA unfortunately.

At some point, UKA attempted or did create the “Council of SGs”. No one knows if they meet and what they do anyway. Are these UKA SGs also divided between seniors and juniors? Sometimes, this “Council of SGs” has zero idea of what the “ Council of Presidents” does. It’s like a wife who does not know if her husband is still working or he resigned: yet they live together and talk everyday. The above arrangement tells us a bigger story about what UKA “ought to be doing” and not necessarily what UKA “is doing”.

4. UKA must Scrutinize each stakeholder and member using the SWOT Analysis

Before UKA can define, clarify and broaden its top leadership structures, there is need to weigh each member on the scale of SWOT Analysis. Even as the movement is growing fast and may integrate different players, the SWOT Analysis will be useful for membership categorization, planning, implementation and evaluation of their activities. UKA can engage an independent consultant seconded by experts from each party to undertake a comprehensive and objective SWOT analysis of each member.

5. Use the SWOT Analysis Table to determine Roles and Responsibilities for each Member

Even in the garden, we have okra, tomatoes, onions, apples, oranges, mangoes, beans, carrots, chilli, sunflower, shrubs, thorns, etc. A good farmer or gardener must always classify each of all these field plants and treat them as such. So far, UKA has not identified each member from their point of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT). This is a huge technical gap and policy blunder because it will create false or wrong placements and expectations. If UKA is to maximize benefits from each member, assigning roles and responsibilities to each member must be guided by an honest SWOT Analysis Report.

6. UKA must prohibit members from poaching and appointing peers members into their parties

So far, PF is bleeding from political poaching by UKA member parties eating into their countrywide membership. It’s like in UKA, the lazy hyenas have dead carcasses to feast on by simply identifying and mobilizing from PF members and structures. I have received many suspicious calls and violent complaints from PF MPs, members and MCCs asking why some UKA members are appointing PF members into their respective political parties and freely or arrogantly announcing on UKA social media platforms? I am equally as shocked as anyone.

While appointments of PF, FDD, NDC, GP, CF, or any party member into UKA structures seem to be generally welcomed and encouraged, it is clear that most PF members find it treacherous and disrespectful for any UKA member to appoint their members into their political parties. And I totally agree! You cannot create and grow a political alliance by encouraging political incest. This practice is never the hallmark of any alliance anywhere. Simply put, political incest must be categorically disallowed in UKA!

7. Appoint the UKA alliance mother party using the SWOT Analysis Table

In South Africa, they created a coalition or an alliance government led by the ANC and its party president because they have the majority seats in parliament. In Zambia, we have the UPND alliance government led by UPND and its party leader because they have the arrogance of numbers in parliament and HH was elected as Republican President. In Kenya or Brazil, the stories are the same. There is no alliance without a mother or umbrella political party that anchors and hosts everyone.

UKA has dramatically taken a notorious position of ignoring this fact and is running on the false pretext that all the member parties involved are mother or father parties. Very strange approach! I have done political party formation and voter alignment studies at different levels since 2004, l have never come across this model of alliance leadership our UKA is using, just never. While the water is still in their knees, I would recommend that let them put up the right model and workable structure.

8. UKA must Encourage its members to state their expectations from the alliance

In a transparent and ideal political alliance, coalition members must come with specific goals and expectations. Do you want to float three or five MPs in the next election under the alliance? Are you looking for three or two ministerial positions in the coalition government? Do you want your leader to be considered for running mate under the alliance candidacy? Are you bringing financial resources to the table? Do you want to put candidates in one or three districts or provinces?

Look, if such political goals and expectations are not coming out at infant stage of the alliance from its members, then expect more challenges or drama ahead of the coalition. Coincidentally, it’s like UKA members are either expecting the same or they running and scheming to score one goal at the same time. Its like a football team with eleven players all running to kick and score one ball! It’s important for UKA members to put across their respective goals and expectations in UKA.

9. Let political parties float their prospective candidates in UKA

When the UPND alliance was formed, their leader was HH and the mother party in UPND clearly stated that Bally was father political Coalition candidate for 2021. Other alliance members like Felix Mutati and team, Charles Milupi and team, etc negotiated their cakes and were promised ministerial positions. What is wrong for UKA party members to express their views and float their respective party leaders for different positions in UKA?

At least, PF has started to discuss and are resolved to presenting their Edgar Lungu as coalition candidate for 2026. PF SG, Raphael Nakachinda puts it in a selfish and brutal manner: “Without Lungu on the ballot, there shall be no elections in 2026”. It is timely important and wise for all UKA members to encourage their supporters to start discussing and presenting their leaders to UKA for different roles and positions.

10. UKA party members must be engaging their NECs to report and get feedback

Generally, it now appears like UKA is a one way train of “Council of Presidents” for many parties in the alliance. This is a terrible mistake. UKA must have a policy of compelling their top leaders to have national or key membership consultative meetings on a quarterly basis in order to report on the progress made as well as seek feedback and collective consensus. This will strengthen UKA going into 2026.

11. UKA must graduate from the hypocrisy of political equality among members

As earlier stated, there is no political equality in coalition politics and alliance partnerships. This is either gross political ignorance or crooked hypocrisy. UKA members must speedily abandon this false and fake theory of political equality and engage based on what one brings and presents to the table.

Once more, a SWOT Analysis Report for each member will naturally kill and bury this clandestine illusion and misguided preposition. For an alliance of this magnitude to score and win 2026, there is need to engage based on honest, wisdom and maturity instead of babysitting dishonest and false egos! Hence, the SWOT analysis report for each will help.

12. UKA must invite all and sundry into the alliance ahead of HH and UPND for 2026

Jesus Christ said, “the harvest is ready, but the laborers are few”. This is where UKA is standing if they remain cowardly rigged, hypocritical, discriminatory and selfish to embrace new members and ideas. HH is like that arrogant high school bully; you need to mobilize the entire class to join forces in beating him from different angels and bring him down to his knees.

UKA needs every political party in the opposition if possible. Let UKA deliberately engage Fred M’membe, KBF, Andfold Banda, Kasonde Mweenda, Tripple H, The Zambia We Want, Winter Kabimba, etc and bring them inside. Inside UKA talks based on personal emotions or envy against those interested to join UKA must not be entertained. As things are, UKA needs everyone to defeat this Goliath called HH. Unless one just refuses to join, UKA must continue to knock on the door of all opposition leaders and interested citizens.

Conclusion

If UKA fails to speedily reform and address these issues among other pertinent matters patterning to forceful and credible opposition alliances, trust me, PF will be more injured and at some left in political ruins. This is because, Soon or later, PF will enrich the membership of current weaker or briefcase parties in UKA using their presidency in ECL, media platforms as well as their own hard earned structures across Zambia. If UKA will secure benefits for everyone in future, UKA needs urgent reforms and actions from different fronts and players.

Dr Chris ZUMANI Zimba is a Political Scientist, Researcher, Author & Consultant specialized in Comparative Global Governance and Democratic Theories. He holds a PhD, MA, BA and Cert in Political Science. Zimba was President Lungu’s Political Advisor from December 2019 to August 2021. By philosophical approach, Dr. Zimba is a Pan Africanist as well as Afro-Christian by religion.
Email:chriszumaniZimba.cz@gmail.com