WHY JITO KAYUMBA MUST NOT BE MOVED TO ANOTHER POSITION: Zambia Needs Stability at the Heart of Its Economic Recovery
There is a dangerous temptation in Zambian politics: every time a man performs, we want to move him. We want to reward him with a new portfolio, a new ministry, a new title.
This must not happen with Jito Kayumba.
As the nation speculates about reshuffles and appointments, let one truth shake the country today: *Jito Kayumba should not be appointed to any other position. He must remain exactly where he is – as Special Assistant to the President for Finance and Investment.*
Not because he lacks capacity for higher office. But because his current office IS the higher office for Zambia’s moment.
1. He Is The Bridge Between State House and the Markets*
Since 15th September 2021, Kayumba has done what no one else has done with such consistency. He has translated President Hakainde Hichilema’s economic vision into a language investors understand.
Zambia came from default. Debt restructuring, IMF negotiations, investor confidence collapsed – all needed a steady, technically competent, globally credible face. Kayumba, an investment professional from Kukula Capital, with board experience at Airtel Zambia, Zambian Breweries, and deep knowledge of mining, energy and private equity, became that face.
Moving him now is like removing the pilot in the middle of turbulence when the plane has just stabilized.
2. The Economic War Is Not Yet Won
We have won debt restructuring, yes. But the second term agenda as Kayumba himself stated – is wealth creation, jobs, and making growth reach the compounds and villages.
The projects that will define this legacy are still in motion:
– Direct copper trading to stop transfer pricing and keep value in Zambia
– The Lobito Corridor and unlocking North-Western Province
– Energy and mining investment expansion
– Tourism and cargo infrastructure like the Mongu World-Class Airport agenda
These are not ministerial jobs. They are coordination jobs that require direct access to the President and trust of the private sector. That is exactly what his current position gives him.
3. What Zambia Needs Is Institutional Memory, Not Musical Chairs*
Investors do not invest in titles. They invest in people and consistency. Every time we shift a key economic advisor to a political ministry, we send a signal that we are not serious.
Kayumba’s strength is that he is NOT a politician fighting for a constituency. He is a technocrat with strong leadership, spiritual grounding, and economic discipline – values he preaches to the youth himself. He does not need a ministry to be powerful. His power is in his proximity to the President and his ability to run across ministries without bureaucratic bottlenecks.
To appoint him elsewhere is to weaken State House itself.
4. Let Loyalty and Competence Finish Its Work
President Hichilema made a masterstroke in 2021 by bringing Kayumba inside. He understood that running the economy smoothly requires a strategist inside the engine room, not on the deck.
Let us be clear to all Zambians debating this matter: This country does not need Jito Kayumba to be a Minister to prove his worth. We need him to remain the President’s financial compass.
The President is running a complex economic recovery. You do not change your chief strategist when the battle plan is finally working.
Our Call:
To the President: Keep Jito Kayumba where he is. Strengthen his office. Give him more support staff if needed.
To the Nation: Stop pushing for his appointment elsewhere. Celebrate that we have a young, credible, investment-savvy Zambian at the centre of power, helping steer the economy.
Zambia’s economy does not need new faces every year. It needs steady hands.
Jito Kayumba’s hand must remain on the wheel where it is.
For Zambia. For Stability. For Continued Economic Recovery.