EXPLAINING THE PeP MANIFESTO: PART A – TOP 5 DELIVERABLES OF A SEAN E. TEMBO PRESIDENCY ON INAUGURATION DAY
By Sean E. Tembo – PeP President
1. A few days ago, the Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) released a summary of it’s 2026 elections Manifesto, in which we outlined the top 5 deliverables that we would present to the Zambian people on inauguration day, 100 days in office, 3 years in office, 5 years in office and 10 years in office. Although the response from the general public was generally positive and overwhelming, the underlying concern was that the “how” was missing. How will you do it? Where will you get the money to do it? Those were the questions from many well-meaning Zambians.
2. In response to the public call for more details and clarity on the PeP Manifesto Summary, we are going to run a series of articles in which we shall explain the rationale, the “how” and the funding for each and every key deliverable that we presented in the PeP 2026 Manifesto Summary. In this article, we shall deal with part A, which talks about the top 5 deliverables of a Sean E. Tembo presidency on inauguration day. For ease of reference, an excerpt is presented below:
i) Tax holidays given to the mines by the UPND administration, shall be revoked;
ii) All students admitted to Government and private universities will be given student loans;
iii) Volunteer medical personnel will be employed by Government and paid arrears for work already done;
iv) All farmers who suffered from delayed FRA payments shall receive interest payments, and Government to announce FRA purchase price for crops 3 months before commencement of farming season;
v) All persons who prevented ECL from leaving the country to seek medical attention, shall be investigated and prosecuted for manslaughter.
3. Tax Holidays Given to the Mines by the UPND Government Shall be Revoked -: This deliverable of a Sean E. Tembo presidency which will be made on inauguration day, is designed to ensure that everyone contributes a fair share to the national tax basket.
There’s no morality in over-taxing poor and vulnerable citizens while giving tax holidays to big corporates such as the mines. The public feedback on this policy position was generally positive, and the objections largely came from our colleagues that support the ruling UPND party. Their argument was that the UPND Government has not given out any tax holidays, therefore, how can you say that you’ll revoke something that is not there in the first place?
Well, we would like to refer our colleagues to paragraph 195 on page 45 of the 2022 National Budget that was presented to the National Assembly by the Minister of Finance, Hon. Situmbeko Musokotwane on Friday, 29th October 2021, which reads “…to attract investment and boost production in the mining sector, I propose to introduce the deductibility of mineral royalty for corporate income tax assessment…the revenue loss from this measure is projected at K3.2 billion per annum…” That means for the past 4 and half years, we have lost more than K14.4 billion because of tax holidays given to the mines, although our calculations indicate that the revenue loss to the nation, ever since the UPND Government came into office, is around K23.8 billion. This is money that could have been used in other needy social sectors. A Sean E. Tembo presidency will bring this to an end on day one.
4. All Students Admitted to Government and Private Universities will be given Student Loans-: When I was admitted to the Copperbelt University to pursue my Bachelor of Accountancy in 1999, Government used to give grants, through the Bursaries Committee. Therefore, it was understood why only a limited number of students were given Government sponsorship. Because Government had limited resources and could not give grants to everyone.
However, along the way, Government policy changed, and instead of grants, Government started giving student loans, which are recovered once someone graduates. In other words, this is a revolving fund. Therefore, there is no justifiable reason why anyone who needs a student loan should not be given one, provided they have been admitted to a university.
Regardless of whether it is a Government university or a private university. If it is properly run, there is no need of pumping in Government funds into this revolving fund every fiscal year, because it is supposed to sustain itself.
The only reason that the UPND administration is pumping in Government funds into the student loan system, every fiscal year, and therefore limiting the number of students that are given Student Loans, is because the student loan system is being poorly run. They’re failing to recover loans from the people that they gave to. It is a loan system in name only. In reality, it is still a grant system. At the moment, only graduates that work in Government and quasi-government institutions have student loan deductions, which also tend to be very high.
The unreasonably high instalments make a lot of graduates to hide and not pay back. A Sean E. Tembo presidency will reform this revolving fund so that collections are not less than 90 percent. Ultimately, the goal will be to ensure than in about 5 years time, not only will university students from both Government and Private Universities get a student loan when they need one, but also tertiary students in colleges as well. However, a student loan will strictly be that: a student loan. It will not be a grant.
6. Volunteer Medical Personnel will be Employed by Government and Paid Arrears for Work Already Done -: I am a firm believer that people who do the same job should be paid the same salary. Therefore, I find it unconscionable that two people who were classmates at medical school and are now working as Doctors at Chilenje Level 1 Hospital, can be in a situation whereby one is earning a salary and the other is working for free. As a leader, you need to have very low principles for justice, equity and fairness to find such a situation tolerable. Under a Sean E. Tembo presidency, everyone who volunteered as a medical personnel will be paid in arrears, because that is what justice demands. Those that will be volunteering on the day of inauguration shall be employed. And we shall never ask anyone to volunteer for free. If we cannot afford to employ you, we shall allow you to do other things to earn a living. A Sean E. Tembo Government will not exploit you.
7. All Farmers who Suffered from Delayed FRA Payments shall Receive Interest Payments, and Government to Announce FRA Purchase Price for Crops 3 months before Commencement of Farming Season -: People who lend money to Government through Treasury Bills and Government Bonds are paid interest without any argument. When FRA delays paying a farmer by 8 months, the farmer is effectively lending money to Government. So why should an investor who lends money to Government even for 30 days through Treasury Bills, be paid interest, but a farmer who lends money to Government for 8 months not be paid interest? Where is the justice? Where is the equity? Where is the fairness? A Sean E. Tembo presidency will be a just, equitable and fair administration. We shall not exploit any citizen simply because they are weak and vulnerable. Just as we shall not be shy to hold citizens accountable simply because they are strong and powerful. Each citizen shall be treated fairly and equitably. No one will be superior over the other. Additionally, to assist farmers to plan, a Sean E. Tembo presidency will announce the FRA floor price for all crops, at least 3 months before the commencement of the farming season.
That will enable farmers to decide whether they want to plant maize or soya beans or cotton or tobacco. Additionally, FRA under a Sean E. Tembo presidency, will not only be restricted to buying maize, but will also buy soya beans, sunflower, tobacco, rice, beans, cotton, sorghum and wheat. The job of the farmer will be to produce the crops as efficiently as possible. The job of the Government will be to source the market for the crops, both locally and internationally, at as good a price as possible.
8. All persons who prevented ECL from leaving the country to seek medical attention, shall be investigated and prosecuted for manslaughter -: We all saw the videos of the late 6th Republican President, His Excellency Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, being prevented from boarding a flight at KKIA on multiple occasions. ECL had not been arrested and was therefore neither on bail nor on Police Bond. He was also not under house arrest of any kind. So on what basis did the UPND Government prevent him from boarding his flight? That is called impunity and it needs to be nipped in the bud. If ECL had not been prevented from traveling abroad to seek medical attention, at the time he wished to travel, would he have survived his cancer? Did the people that prevented ECL from leaving the country contribute to his death? Are they culpable for manslaughter? Those are the questions which a court of law will need to answer. The law gives powers to each an every officer of Government. Those government officers who decide to operate over and above the powers given to them by the law, are on their own. The same law shall visit them and remind them that Zambia is a constitutional democracy, and that impunity shall never be tolerated.
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SET 17.02.2026