EDITORIAL | KBF & the King-Maker Myth
Kelvin Bwalya Fube, widely known as KBF, has again drawn national attention. This time the trigger is not a policy intervention or an organisational milestone, but images circulated on his official Facebook page that many users identified as AI-generated. The reaction was swift and unforgiving, reopening an old debate about credibility, influence, and the persistent gap between KBF’s political claims and measurable outcomes.
The controversy is not about technology. Politicians experiment with digital tools every day. The issue is credibility. For a figure who has for years positioned himself as a behind-the-scenes architect of presidential power, the optics mattered. The episode amplified an existing public scepticism around a long-standing narrative that has never been matched by institutional authority.
KBF has repeatedly stated that he played decisive roles in the rise of three presidents: Michael Sata, Edgar Lungu, and Hakainde Hichilema. These claims are widely circulated in interviews and public commentary. What is verifiable, however, is that across all three regimes, he was never appointed to a senior executive position. No cabinet portfolio. No strategic advisory office anchored in law. No formal role that reflected the influence he asserts.
Political history draws a clear line between access and authority. Many actors orbit power during campaigns. Few are trusted with the machinery of state. Zambia’s post-1991 record shows that presidents, once elected, consolidate power tightly. Individuals without institutional relevance fade quickly.
KBF’s absence from formal governance across successive governments raises a question that rhetoric cannot resolve: if his strategic value was decisive, why has it never been institutionalised?
His strongest asset has always been language. He is articulate. He frames arguments with confidence. He understands political cadence and elite discourse. This skill has sustained his media presence. What remains thin is evidence of organisational depth. Zambia Must Prosper maintains visibility online, but its electoral footprint is limited. There is no demonstrated nationwide structure capable of mobilising votes at scale, fielding competitive parliamentary candidates, or sustaining grassroots operations across provinces.
The AI imagery episode exposed a recurring weakness. Projection substituted for proof. In a political environment shaped by digital literacy and verification, symbolic exaggeration backfires. Public trust is not built through spectacle. It is earned through consistent mobilisation, transparent funding, and visible followership. Crowds cannot be rendered into legitimacy.
The broader issue is not one incident but a pattern. KBF’s politics have remained intensely personalised. His messaging often centres on foresight, intellect, and strategic brilliance. Successful political movements function differently. They build systems that survive their founders. They decentralise authority. They allow institutions to speak louder than individuals. In KBF’s case, the brand remains inseparable from the man.
Public reaction this week reflects more than online mockery. It echoed accumulated doubt. Voters increasingly interrogate claims of influence. They ask who has followed you into power. Who has governed because of you? Who has entrusted you with authority beyond a microphone? These questions remain unanswered.
As the 2026 elections approach, politics will reward organisation over narrative. Credibility will outweigh proximity. Verification will matter more than volume. Figures who mistake commentary for command will struggle in an environment that demands delivery.
Kelvin Bwalya Fube remains a visible voice in opposition politics. This is not in dispute. What is unresolved is the distance between his claims and the historical record. Until influence is demonstrated through institutions rather than assertion, the king-maker label will continue to ring hollow.
Modern politics is unforgiving. Once credibility fractures, it is not repaired by sharper images or louder declarations. It is repaired by results.
© The People’s Brief | Editor-in-Chief