Fall from Western Grace: Is Hichilema Too Ashamed to Attend the UN General Assembly?
By Kapya Kaoma
Once a darling of the West, President Hakainde Hichilema’s decision not to attend the United Nations General Assembly—likely the last of his presidency—speaks volumes.
For a man often accused of narcissism, his absence from such a global stage is surprising. Or is it? On September 26, 2021, I warned in the Lusaka Times after U.S. President Joe Biden hailed Hichilema as Africa’s new anti-corruption champion at the UN. Biden went so far as to compare Zambia disfavorably in terms of corruption to Congo, Somalia, and Sudan. Instead of defending Zambia’s dignity, Hichilema smiled and basked in the applause. His supporters—“Bally worshippers”—cheered, convinced their leader had placed Zambia firmly on the world map.
Four years later, that same “anti-corruption crusader” presides over a government now cited for graft and human rights abuses. Zambia has been blacklisted by the United States–for corruption and human rights abuses. The very allies who once embraced Hichilema now look on his government with suspicion. Thus, rather than face the scrutiny of the UN, he is hiding away. But what has changed? Nothing—except that the mask has slipped. He cannot lie forever.
The truth is what I cautioned years ago. Hichilema is a master of deception. He promised transparency yet never declared his wealth or allowed real investigations into his officials. He vowed to uphold human rights, yet political violence and police brutality have worsened. Today, speaking out is treated as a capital offense. Even within his party, whispers abound about UPND cadres terrorizing citizens. The abuses Zambians thought they had buried with the Patriotic Front have returned—sometimes worse.
Chibokolo, infamous for insulting the late President Lungu and a die-hard Hichilema supporter, is an example. He was recently attacked by UPND cadres. Worse, cadres continue to openly terrorize people while the president looks on.
Hichilema governs less like a democrat and more like a petty autocrat. The man is so insecure that he can be threatened by a “mosquito,” he orders arrests of opponents no matter how small or insignificant, clamps down on protests, and tolerates violence in his name. Social media is closely monitored—at what cost to our freedoms? His stature as head of state has withered, reduced to little more than the title “President of Zambia.” Many citizens now say they would sooner vote for a frog than for Hichilema in 2026. Go to the markets—this is their truth.
With elections just eleven months away, what can he claim as achievements? Commissioning unplastered toilets? A trail of poorly executed CDF projects or cheap trucks? Demolished homes? Silencing dissent? Arresting rivals? This is hardly the record of a reformer.
Instead, his legacy is shaping up as one of broken promises, entrenched corruption, justice denied, democracy weakened by fear, and starvation. Even his own vice president has denied his campaign pledges in Parliament, as though we lived in the dark ages. But the nation remembers—we all heard those promises repeated for years. For Hichilema, truth is elastic, bent for convenience. For the rest of us, that is simply lying.
Time is running out. Unless he flees into exile, the very prisons he now fills with opponents may one day house him. For his children, one can only hope they are spared the humiliation that has dogged the families of disgraced leaders before him. But Hichilema cannot outrun accountability. His fall from grace is not a question of if, but when. The only question is whether August 2026 will come too late.
Credit: https://www.lusakatimes.com/2025/09/24/fall-from-western-grace-is-hichilema-too-ashamed-to-attend-the-un-general-assembly/
You are peddling lies Mr. Kaoma. I do not think the majority of Zambians share your views. There are things I disagree with Mr. Hichilema’s rule, but currently there is no alternative. Putting any of the current opposition buffoons into power would be a great leap forward. Fortunately he has done a lot of positive things for Zambia, and he will definitely get a second term. Wait for your disappointment.
Kaoma you lying. What political violence and Police brutality are you talking about compared to what was happening in PF?
Boza, ifwe we are voting for HH
Same useless bitter souls spewing faecal.
Mr. Kaoma, your comment is far from holding any water and you should stop misleading people because hh’s absence from the UNGA has nothing to do with his relations with the West. Ati, likely the last of his presidency—speaks volumes. What volumes are you talking about, because HH is not going soon, he is still there until 2031. If that’s your wish, I am afraid because you still have six more years to wait. If HH is the friend of the West it doesn’t mean that he liked by everyone in the West no. Joe Biden you have mentioned and his Vice Kamala Harris are no longer in office. Suppose those were some of his good or best friends, do you expect that friendship to continue with Trump? It may not be so. HH is more concerned with his country Zambia more than anything else, he has been in office the last four years and he has already made a lot friends and has done enough marketing for the country. For your own information, HH is is more and well respected globally more than some of his predecessors. Some of the same Western Leaders are not even happy about his absence, some even call him and they discuss even on phone. HH has the right to choose where to go and where not to go, no one can force or decide for him, so stop making those assumptions, the President knows what he is doing. Zambia now is many times more stable both economically and politically that it was under PF, human rights have tremendously improved, as citizens we are feeling the peace and tranquility compared to the reign of terror we were subjected to under the notorious PF.
Some people are seriously confused, and don’t know whether they are coming or going. Not too long as ago, the same people used to write article after article how president HH is a puppet of the west due his good relationship, but today they are the same people writing articles about how Zambia is apparently “losing” out from not having a “good” relationship with the same west that they called imperialists. How confused can some people be?