GUEST ARTICLE: Former Presidents & Vice Presidents
By Dickson Jere
At last, a Bill has been presented to Parliament to deal with the benefits of former Presidents and Vice Presidents of Zambia. The 2026 law is supposed to replace the old 1993 Act that is almost obsolete due to passage of time and other constitutional developments that have taken place.
For the first time, former Vice Presidents will be given benefits almost equivalent to those of former Presidents save there is a cut-off point for some benefits.
Both former Presidents and Vice Presidents will be entitled to a retirement house – four bedroom mansion – but only those who served as running mates since 2016.
Based on the former President Rupiah Banda experience, the new law has included the provision that former presidents can ask for cash and build their own houses without waiting for government to construct one. RB asked for cash and built as per his standards and topped up the shortfall.
However, those who served as Vice Presidents or equivalent positions since 1964, they will only be entitled to 80% salary of the incumbent Vice Presidents but the same shall not be backdated. So those who held positions such as Prime Minister have been captured. So, once Bill pass, they will start receiving salaries or indeed their widows for those who have died.
If I was in parliament, I would have debated this issue with an alternative view. I always believe that former Presidents and former Vice Presidents must be given houses owned by the state and after the their demise those houses should revert to the state. I do not know how houses the government will build for people with as retirement packages. It is a cost on the treasury!
And more questions arise.
Can they sell such houses?
Can they mortgage the same?
Can they rent out the same house?
The proposed law is silent on these very important points despite having gone through the practical examples of such problems. This law should have been drafted taking into account the experience of former President Frederick Chiluba and Levy Mwanawasa regarding these houses. We must use experience to enhance our laws!
Another missed opportunity in this law is that the silence on the Presidential state funeral. We are currently in a quagmire over the funeral of President Edgar Lungu and yet the proposed law is not dealing with that matter. It merely stated that the former President is entitled to State Funeral which will be prescribed – meaning another law will be passed later. Why not deal with this issue in this law since state funeral forms part of the former President benefits? Why are we scared? I would propose that we include this aspect once and for all! Let us deal with this issue now since we have the opportunity!
Lastly, am glad that my recent proposal has been included that former Vice Presidents engaged in active politics should also be barred from receiving their pension benefits just like those who served as Presidents. What is good for the gander is good for the goose!
Kindly read through “The Benefits of Former Presidents and Vice Presidents Bill, 2026”.
Here we go again! More parasites to feast on the national treasury. Politicians taking care of politicians while the hapless citizens foot the bill. Why can’t politicians take care of themselves like everyone else?
Instead of increasing the list of parasites, we should be thinking of scrapping these so called benefits for politicians and constitutional office holders. A sitting president enjoys tax free salary and allowances. On top of that, the tax payers attends to his every whim, he doesn’t have to spend a ngwee on his upkeep. We feed him and clothe him. And after his tenure of office, we have to build him are house and give him 80% of the incumbent’s salary as retirement benefits. Are we a nation of lunatics?
Politics is truly a rewarding career. No wonder the field is so overcrowded.
Why? Are we that rich? Then better you use that money to pay pensioners who have been waiting for their money for years. Including suppliers who are also waiting to be paid for years. Next it will be the speaker, deputy speakers and all former ministers to get a salary for life even after leaving office.