THE ONE BIG MISTAKE WE (UPND ALLIANCE) MUST OWN AND WE STILL NEED ANOTHER CHANCE
The biggest failure of the UPND Alliance government has been the slow and incomplete way it dealt with the massive corruption of the previous PF era. Zambians, who openly booed Edgar Chagwa Lungu, expected decisive action from week one. The people who suffered under inflated contracts, missing funds, and public projects that cost far more than they should have, wanted to see those responsible held to account quickly and thoroughly. That did not happen with the urgency the nation expected
In the first years, the fight against that past corruption moved too slowly. Some cases dragged and the investigations were selectively done at a time that our people expected a massive “catch all” clean up. Some people who should have faced serious consequences remained free. Of course, there were individuals within the broader political space who had old friendships and relationships that made firm action harder
President Hichilema himself has spoken openly about the difficulty of navigating a system where some of those around power had long histories with the previous regime. That failure created space for the very people Zambians wanted cleaned out to reinvent themselves, rewrite the narrative, and flood social media with lies. It’s annoying to be competing in this election with people who should have been behind bars by the end of 2022.
The communication strategy of the government also went to sleep for too long. While the country was being stabilised and difficult economic foundations were being rebuilt, the story on the ground was left to those who had every reason to distort it. We must own this this failure and apologise to Zambians.
At the same time, we must also be fair. The same government that moved too slowly on some corruption cases is the one that inherited a defaulted economy, renegotiated ruinously expensive contracts (including the Lusaka to Ndola dual carriageway, which was brought down dramatically from the previous inflated figures), delivered free education to millions of children, and increased the Constituency Development Fund so that communities finally see real money.
The choice before us is not between a perfect government and a perfect opposition. It is between continuing the hard, incomplete work of recovery, while demanding better accountability, or returning power to the same networks that left the country in debt distress and whose infrastructure projects were repeatedly flagged for massive cost inflation.
President Hichilema did not have a clean team ready and waiting in 2021. Many who had suffered for the UPND cause were not the ones placed in key positions. That reality made the early years harder. It does not excuse the delays on corruption, but it helps explain them. Zambians are right to be angry that more was not done, faster, against those who looted through inflated contracts and built mansions while the country sank into default.
We are also right to ask, “after all the pain of the previous decade, do we really want to hand the country back to the same forces that caused it?” Let Zambians demand better from the UPND on accountability. Let us also refuse to throw away the progress that has been made simply because one critical job was not finished with enough speed and steel.
Zambia deserves both honesty about the past and courage for the future.
Saviour Chishimba
President
United Progressive People (UPP)
UPND Alliance Partner