CAN KALABA PUT ASIDE HIS POWER APETITE LIKE KAMBWILI?
By James Phiri, Kwamutonyo
The Candidates Editor
Chishimba Kambwili has openly stated that he is ready to set aside his presidential ambitions if doing so would help build a strong, united opposition capable of confronting UPND in the 2026 General Elections. That alone separates him from the circus of ego-driven politicians masquerading as national leaders.
Kambwili is not alone. Fred M’membe has also said he is willing to shelve his ambitions for the sake of opposition unity. In a political landscape poisoned by vanity and delusions of grandeur, such admissions are rare and telling.
In Zambia today, leadership ambition has been reduced to a joke. Anyone with a bank account, a smartphone, and access to WhatsApp believes they are presidential material. This explains the explosion of comic political parties run by individuals with no structure, no ideology, no national appeal yet all demanding to be President. Zambia is drowning in political comedians, not leaders.
If leadership means humility, self-awareness, and the maturity to accept that no one is divinely ordained to rule, then it is painfully obvious that only Kambwili and M’membe have demonstrated even a trace of leadership maturity.
Now let us talk about Harry Kalaba.
Can Kalaba who runs what is essentially a WhatsApp-group party, ever put aside his obsessive hunger for power? Can he step down for the sake of unity, the way Kambwili and M’membe have indicated? The answer is simple: No chance.
Kalaba’s political ego far outweighs his actual political relevance.
Between Kalaba, Kambwili, and M’membe, who commands real political influence? Who has the capacity to mobilise, to threaten UPND, to shake the system? Certainly not Kalaba.
Kalaba has been in opposition since 2018, after resigning from Edgar Lungu’s cabinet and abandoning PF. Eight long years later, what exactly does he have to show for it?
No electoral breakthroughs.
No mass following.
No national momentum.
His only measurable “achievement” is registering two political parties at the Registrar of Societies. That is not political growth. That is paperwork.
Kalaba enjoys a privilege no serious opposition leader in Zambia enjoys. He is tolerated by Hakainde Hichilema. He is allowed to move freely, hold rallies, mobilise, and posture like a presidential contender without interference. Contrast this with the treatment of Makebi Zulu or Fred M’membe—men who are hounded, blocked, harassed, and denied basic freedoms by Zambia Police.
Makebi cannot even host sympathisers at his own private residence. M’membe is treated like a criminal for exercising democratic rights. Meanwhile, Kalaba is given police permits, protection, and political breathing space.
Why?Because Kalaba poses no threat.
UPND does not fear Kalaba. They fear impact. They fear mobilisation. They fear relevance. And Kalaba has none of these. His political harmlessness is precisely why he is allowed to roam freely. That tolerance has inflated his ego, making him believe like Brian Mundubile, UPND’s favourite opposition pet, that he is destined for State House while everyone else must line up behind him.
Let us be clear: Hakainde cannot give Kambwili the freedom he gives Kalaba.He cannot give M’membe that freedom either.
Why? Because Kambwili and M’membe matter politically. They have weight. They have followers. They disrupt narratives. Kalaba does not.
So when we state these facts—facts that are publicly visible and undeniable—Kalaba’s attack dogs bark, insult, and foam at the mouth. But insults do not erase reality.They can shout all they want.They can cry victim all they want.But they cannot run away from the truth.Kalaba’s greatest political asset is not his popularity.It is his irrelevance