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10.11.2024
Betrayed and Forgotten, UPND’s Abandonment of its Loyal Foot Soldiers & Members.
By Daimone Siulapwa
In politics, few things sting like betrayal, and today, the UPND stands guilty of betraying its most loyal supporters. For over 20 years, these men and women sacrificed their time, resources, and livelihoods to bring the UPND into power.
Yet three years into this government, the very people who put it there remain abandoned, their hopes of financial stability and recognition shattered. This is more than a failure of governance; it is a betrayal that could spell the UPND’s catastrophe come 2026.
Across Zambia, it is now a common sight to find disgruntled UPND members lamenting openly about how their sacrifices have been rewarded with indifference. They are crying out, not just for material gains, but for the dignity and respect they expected their loyalty would earn.
For many of these supporters, the sense of betrayal has taken a painful toll, as they have become the laughing stock of their own families and communities. In households and neighborhoods, they endure jabs and ridicule for staking their hopes on a party that seems to have left them behind.
You can feel the anger of many UPND members in the air—men and women who continue defending their party even when it feels impossible to do so. They press on with fragile optimism, hoping for a turnaround that never comes, hoping that perhaps someone in the leadership will finally listen.
But where are the party’s strategists or political advisers to face the truth, to tell those in power that the time has come to make a change?
It is only during the UPND government that the administration has even failed to identify and distribute land among its members—using legal and transparent means, of course.
For Christ’s sake, UPND is in power! It has the political authority to empower its members within the law, yet all it lacks is the will. It’s baffling that a government with all the instruments of state at its disposal has not devised a legal, sustainable mechanism to give its members a fair stake in the prosperity of the land they govern and this we don’t mean empowering just a few province.
Where the PF showed mastery in mobilizing resources and legal opportunities for its ⁵loyalists, UPND remains hesitant, choosing instead to stand by as its support base languishes.
A closer look at the situation reveals and even grimmer picture. Many UPND councilors—who once believed they would lead by example, embodying the party’s promises of change and prosperity—have grown too disillusioned to carry on. In communities across the country, it’s not unusual to find councilors who have simply abandoned their roles, no longer engaging in local projects or community work.
Their reasoning? “It’s not worth it.” This sentiment has spread like wildfire, leaving a gaping void in communities and a profound sense of abandonment among supporters.
The UPND, despite having two decades to prepare, failed to anticipate or address the demands of its support base. Unlike the PF, which expertly cultivated loyalty by rewarding those who stood by it, the UPND appears paralyzed by its own moral high ground, unwilling or unable to develop a system to support its own without draining the national treasury.
In doing so, it has made a mockery of the sacrifices of its supporters, leaving many disgruntled and disillusioned.
What do you say to a man who lost his job, his business, and even put his family’s future on the line for UPND’s victory, only to be cast aside?
Today, many of these loyalists watch from the sidelines as a privileged few prosper, their pockets swelling while the faithful remain in poverty. The betrayal cuts deep, and the comparisons to the PF era are stark.
Whatever the PF’s faults, it looked after its own. The UPND, by contrast, has done little to nothing for its loyalists, standing aloof and indifferent to the struggles of those who helped bring it into power.
This abandonment will not go unanswered. Disillusioned supporters, ignored and mistreated, will not simply accept their fate; they will teach the UPND a lesson come 2026.
Whether through apathy, protest votes, or outright defection, these once-loyal soldiers stand ready to show the UPND that loyalty must be rewarded, not taken for granted.
The UPND’s time is running out. To survive, it must urgently recognize the depth of its failure and take immediate steps to redeem itself in the eyes of its supporters. This is not about bribery, corruption, or handouts; it’s about empowering its base in tangible, lasting ways.
Only then can it hope to avoid a political disaster in 2026. Anything less, and it will find itself on the wrong side of history – and on the wrong side of the ballot box.
ARTICLE 2
Stubbornness Has Killed UKA and The Missteps That Paved the Way for Lungu’s Dominance
By Daimone Siulapwa
In Zambian politics, just like any other, ego can be as destructive as it is influential. The United Kwacha Alliance (UKA), once promising to be a formidable opposition, has become a hollow shadow of what it could have been.
Initially, UKA represented an opportunity to consolidate Zambia’s opposition factions, challenge the ruling UPND, and offer a viable alternative for Zambians yearning for political change. But internal arrogance, misplaced priorities, and a fatal underestimation of Edgar Lungu’s influence have all but sealed UKA’s fate.
As it stands today, UKA is a coalition adrift, undermined by those who refused to acknowledge the sheer political weight of Edgar Lungu, the man who could have turned it into a true force.
Like it or not, Lungu represents a powerhouse within Zambia’s opposition. His years of leadership experience, financial clout, and deep following across the country make him an indisputable heavyweight.
Regardless of one’s opinion on his tenure, the reality is that he commands a loyal base, from former PF stalwarts to disillusioned citizens who still rally around his name. With such influence, Lungu was the only figure capable of galvanizing UKA’s fractured ranks into a cohesive opposition. Ignoring this truth was not just shortsighted but the coalition’s death knell.
Rather than embracing Lungu as their figurehead, some of the UKA’s so-called party leaders took a different approach, seeking to downplay his role. These “party presidents” came from small or nearly invisible factions, most of which lacked any real political machinery or even local government representation.
They held onto fragile egos, mistaking their minimal followings for real power. In reality, they were political neophytes who had little to offer in terms of experience or resources. This misjudgment did not just erode UKA’s strength—it hollowed it out from within.
Instead of building a unified force, UKA’s leaders wasted time playing gallery politics. They aimed to distance themselves from Lungu, fearing his status as a “one-man show” and attempting to place themselves in positions of influence.
But they ignored the political reality. Their attempt to frame Lungu as just another member of UKA—rather than the backbone he could have been—revealed an astounding level of political miscalculation. In doing so, they alienated the very person whose numbers, financial power, and influence could have carried them into the limelight.
The truth was clear from the beginning: leadership in a coalition is not about placating egos or divvying up influence. It’s about rallying around the figure with the strongest base, and that figure was Edgar Lungu. His supporters, his resources, and his presence were what UKA needed if it hoped to contend seriously with the ruling UPND in 2026.
Those who ignored this truth have now exposed themselves as inconsequential players in Zambia’s political landscape.
What’s left of UKA now stands as a scattered group of leaders with no real base, no MPs, and no substantial supporters. Their refusal to recognize Lungu’s influence was not a principled stand but a strategic error and stubbornness rooted in vanity.
Now that Lungu has officially accepted the nomination as the presidential candidate for the Tonse Alliance, the political reality is plain to see: UKA has been rendered utterly irrelevant and useless.The coalition’s remaining members can choose to ignore this fact, but it is undeniable to the Zambian public.
Lungu has taken his rightful place as the face of the opposition, a position UKA’s leaders squandered by clinging to petty power games.
The real cost of UKA’s downfall goes beyond mere political alliances. Without Lungu, UKA lacks the infrastructure, followers, and financial backing that could have transformed it into a real opposition force.
The leaders who sidelined Lungu are now stranded in the political wilderness, grappling to stay relevant while Lungu continues to command the loyalty of Zambia’s largest opposition base. They have left themselves and their supporters disillusioned, stranded, and without a clear path forward.
The Zambian populace now sees through the facade. Without Lungu’s unifying influence, UKA has disintegrated into a coalition of disconnected voices, each vying for attention but lacking substance.
Their abandonment of pragmatism in favor of pandering to lesser leaders has left them stripped of support and naked before a Zambian electorate that knows exactly where the true opposition power lies—and it’s certainly not with UKA.
So, who will challenge the UPND in 2026? UKA, in its current form, stands little chance. In their stubbornness, they have let slip the one figure who could have provided real competition. With Lungu gone, UKA’s leaders are exposed as nothing more than a fragmented group without a coherent strategy or substantial base.
The alliance is now a liability, offering no serious alternative to the Zambian people and no credible challenge to the incumbents.
In the end, Edgar Lungu remains, without question, the face of the Zambian opposition. His influence is such that whether or not he appears on the ballot is almost irrelevant.
He remains the emblem of opposition for his supporters, a symbol of resistance against the ruling party. UKA’s leaders, in their failure to recognize this, have effectively weakened their own position to the point of irrelevance.
The lessons here are clear: coalitions must be built on pragmatism and unity, not petty rivalries or inflated egos. UKA’s leaders failed to embrace this and have paid the price. Their lack of cohesion and political foresight has handed the ruling party an unearned advantage come 2026. For this failure, UKA has no one to blame but itself.
ARTICLE 3
Why UPND Cannot Afford to Underestimate Edgar Lungu’s Political Resurgence
By Daimone Siulapwa
Edgar Lungu is back on the political scene, and the UPND government would be making a catastrophic mistake if they dismissed his return as inconsequential.
This isn’t just about Lungu as an individual—it’s about the massive, calculated machinery of influence, power, and wealth that he commands.
He is not only a former president with years of political experience but also a cunning strategist surrounded by a network of powerful allies both within and beyond Zambia’s borders.
If the UPND overlooks this threat, they risk jeopardizing the very democracy they seek to protect.
Lungu’s comeback is more than just a political maneuver; it’s a rallying call to a fractured but determined base that feels disillusioned by the UPND’s leadership.
The economic challenges Zambia currently faces are the fuel he needs to paint the UPND as a government that has “failed” to deliver on its promises.
The irony is sharp—these economic troubles largely stem from the ruinous debt and reckless spending policies of Lungu’s own administration, yet he seeks to leverage this very crisis to catapult himself back into relevance.
The UPND should recognize this tactic for what it is: a calculated strategy to rewrite history, deflect blame, and offer a hollow promise of “solutions” that he once failed to provide.
Let us not forget the war chest Lungu brings to this battle. Financially, he is heavily backed by a coalition of business tycoons, foreign interests, and political influencers who stand to gain massively from his return to power.
These backers are prepared to pour millions into a sophisticated campaign that would wage an unprecedented propaganda war on the UPND.
This funding will drive a media assault, where misinformation, sensationalism, and manufactured outrage could dominate the discourse and manipulate public opinion.
Lungu’s allies are determined, well-financed, and fully prepared to paint him as a “savior,” erasing the memory of his previous administration’s failures.
UPND must acknowledge that the financial and political backing Lungu has could create an environment ripe for unrest and social division.
This isn’t just an opposition bid; it’s an orchestrated campaign to destabilize the current government. UPND needs to confront this reality and counter it with a strategy of transparency and constant engagement with the Zambian people. They cannot afford to remain reactive while Lungu builds momentum.
Equally concerning is the fact that even if Lungu is disqualified from running, his influence remains formidable. Any candidate he endorses will become the de facto challenger to President Hichilema in the upcoming elections.
Lungu’s support would effectively anoint this candidate with the same financial and political resources he commands, turning them into a proxy for his own agenda.
The UPND would be wise to see this potential threat, preparing not only to confront Lungu directly but also to anticipate the rise of a potential surrogate who could galvanize opposition support under his shadow.
Blocking Lungu through legal channels might seem an attractive option, but the UPND must tread carefully to avoid turning him into a martyr. By restricting his political activities, they risk fueling a narrative of oppression that Lungu would leverage to his advantage.
He’s proven adept at playing the sympathy card, often casting himself as a “victim” when it suits his purposes. This time around, giving Lungu the gift of public sympathy would be a strategic blunder of the highest order.
The UPND must instead counter him openly and decisively, without resorting to tactics that could backfire.
The UPND government’s approach to this challenge needs to be measured and well-calculated. They should not give Lungu any ammunition that could be twisted into a narrative of victimization.
Instead, they must continuously remind the public of the staggering corruption and impunity that defined his administration. Every Zambian must be made aware of the dangers of allowing such a regime to return, of the systematic erosion of accountability and justice that took place under Lungu’s watch.
The UPND has a responsibility to shine a spotlight on the scandals, the mismanagement, and the exploitation of state resources that characterized his tenure.
UPND cannot afford to let complacency cloud their judgment. Lungu is no ordinary opponent; he is a former head of state with a formidable network and an unwavering determination to return.
His influence, his resources, and his willingness to exploit Zambia’s economic struggles make him a political force that could destabilize everything the UPND stands for.The stakes are simply too high to ignore him.
The task before the UPND is not just about defending a government; it’s about safeguarding Zambia’s democracy and ensuring that the country does not fall back into the hands of a regime that prioritized the wealth of a few over the welfare of the many.
Lungu’s ambition is not rooted in serving the people of Zambia—it’s driven by a desire for revenge, power, and the reinstallation of a corrupt system. If the UPND fails to recognize this, if they fail to prepare, Zambia risks a return to the darkest days of its recent history.
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Daimone Siulapwa is a seasoned political strategist and analyst with over 20 years of experience in political planning and execution.
For comments or more information, please contact him at dsiulapwa@gmail.com.