MILLIONS OF ZAMBIANS HAVE SUFFERED INCREASED HARDSHIP UNDER THE WATCH OF PRESIDENT HH
By Rev Chilekwa Mulenga
Mon 2nd February, 2026
The cost of living in Zambia has increased under the watch of President HH a man that promised to lower it. Many had hoped he was going to be their messiah as they shouted the “Bally Will Fix It”slogan. The promise to unite the Nation has become distant as divisions deepen. Many had hoped that President HH would make a “saviour” and improve the standard of living but alas hope is deferred making many sick. The CDF, so called game changer, remains a sad story of a good program dented with corruption, divisive politics and political patronage.
Zambians have suffered the pain of loadshedding under the current administration more than during previous administrations in recent years. The UPND administration through Zesco just increased tariffs in the midst of loadshedding that has negatively impacted on families and small businesses. Small businesses have collapsed increasing the levels of poverty in the Country and weakening the economy.
The following is the narration from one citizen representing the millions hard hit by the hash economy under the UPND administration.
A citizen shares that they bought Zesco units on 3rd Nov, 2025 as follows;
ZESCO Token 63561924860462678780 Units: KWh 254.9 Meter: 74001902035 Amount: K320 TrxID: MP251103.1809.E57822.
(K320 gave 254.9 units)
On 31st Jan, 2026 about three months later, they bought units as follows;
ZESCO Token 59750674722497979476 Units: KWh 110.7 Meter: 74001902035 Amount: K320 TrxID: MP260131.0913.O77100.
(K320 gives 110.7 units)
Please note that it’s the same amount of money used to buy units between Nov 2025 and Jan 2026 but receiving different units which technically means Zesco under the current administration did increase the tariffs amidst loadshedding which pushes the cost of living even higher. How will people survive under this kind of leadership? How can a caring administration give tax holidays to foreign interests in the mining industry while squeezing citizens with high taxes and increased tariffs yet go on a borrowing spree?
The cost of living in Zambia has never reduced from where the previous administration left things despite the current administration having promising to lower it. The basic needs and nutrition basket (BNNB) by the JCTR, which serves as a vital measure of the minimum standard required to uphold the dignity of the human person, reveals increased cost of living in Zambia since 2022. Currently the BNNB stands at over ZK10,500 for a family of five. We think that civil servants who get below K5000 net salary must be surviving by God’s grace.
Zambia has experienced economic injustice under the UPND administration since 2022. Today most families endure immense pressure in securing adequate and balanced nutrition to the high cost of living. We assert that the continued high cost of basic survival, remaining above ZMW 10,500, is a profound concern and a challenge to the preferential option for the poor. The Hichilema administration has failed to workout a sustainable and broadened economic approach that benefits all citizens, especially the poor.
The current administration has lamentably failed to lower the cost of living and uniting the nation due to the following among others;
1. The fight against corruption in the administration.
2. To practically promote the one Zambia one Nation spirit.
3. To work with the Church in promoting genuine dialogue, reconciliation and unity.
4. Timely and decentralised distribution of subsidized farming inputs.
5. To subsidize clean and affordable energy alternatives to charcoal for vulnerable households.
6. To have a well coordinated targeted low-interest working capital facility for SMEs.
7. To invest in reliable, state-of-the-art cold-chain infrastructure for peri-urban markets to reduce on spoilage.
8. To unite key stakeholders to work in solidarity at implementing measures and ensuring every Zambian family live a life commensurate with fundamental human dignity.
9. To utilise locally available God given natural resources and mineral wealth to improve the economy for the benefit of all Zambians.
10. Weakened constitutionalism and democracy. Confidence in most state institutions has reduced since 2022.
From Dec, 2021:
Total Basic Needs & Nutrition Basket stood at K 6,432.76 (JCTR)
To Dec, 2025:
Total Basic Needs & Nutrition Basket standing at K10,833.47 (JCTR)
The difference between 2021 and 2025 in terms cost of living stands around K4,500 while people’s earnings remain low-growing. Salary increments for civil servants remains a sad story, as many Degree holder civil servants continue to get certificate holder salaries.
According to the UNICEF, Zambia’s economy remains constrained with high debt and inflation. These overlapping social and economic challenges have pushed more people into poverty. Child poverty, in particular, has remained persistently high. About 70% of Zambia’s population are living below the poverty line with majority in Rural areas unable to meet their daily basic subsistence needs. Majority Zambians have experienced increased monetary poverty under the UPND administration.
Zambians at present are in deep economic strain and democratic fatigue. The people need renewed hope under a new accountable leadership anchored in the rule of law, values, competence and compassion. The Country needs a leadership that can unite the people.
Ndola, Copperbelt, Zambia.
Ba Rev, I hope you can write part two of your sermon.
PF inherited economy growing at 6% and left it at minus 1; mealie mean at K50 and left it at 250; debt at 2.5 B USD and left it at 14.5B USD; Kwacha usd 6 to one and left it at 24; fuel…I can lie but left it at 21.
Mines thriving but mopani and KCM non functional.
Default on the debt and never paid pensioners and those that have delivered maize.
So, in the name of the Lord who demands us to be fair, write in the exact manner.
Making the economy ticking and employing so many thousands is no fluke man of God.
CDF is no fluke man of God.
Has the cost of living worse yes but it is at a decreasing rate and can only get better as the economy now working again.
By the way, hopefully you are farming in order to accelerate economic turn around.
On power again, you are are off the mark. Load shedding has been with us for long but this is first time that many players are on board and this is effectively being tackled.
You are preaching quick fix it but without investment, where will we end up? Same like yesterday?
Objectivity should always guide men of God. Creating hope is the hallmark of Christianity
Who in the world is unaware that we are managing a substantial debt incurred under the guise of enhancing the very facilities that produce electricity and even alternative energy sources? At your age, you are actively misleading the public when we all understand the root cause of our load shedding: there has not been sufficient rainfall. A significant portion of our budget is allocated to servicing the debt left behind. I presume you now comprehend the origin of the high cost of living? Those who once governed us defaulted on repaying the loans they took, which even resulted in penalties. They left the nation in a state of bankruptcy and the economy in critical condition. Only those lacking economic understanding, like you, Rev, expect immediate prosperity after years of mismanagement.Stop insulting Zambians.HH is busy cleaning the sh!t your friends left behind and today you want to sound smart.Please proceed to study fundamental economics in order to comprehend the appropriate trajectory that HH is following for the nation: stabilizing the currency, decreasing inflation, rebuilding reserves, and subsequently enabling growth to take hold.
Comrade Chilekwa.When tithe at your church dwindles drastically,it is time to think out of the box.Think of gate-takings at your church entrance.Dont slip into prayer trance and start writting drivel here…Shaa!!
Ama Levu ya mu Zambia nabo, tesana. Go and preach Christ.
Are you a really Reverend or it’s just a name? You have reminded me of the Economics we learn at school. We are told that Economics is a Science or subject of assumptions, there is nothing true or untrue about it. Economics entirely depends on the prevailing situation. If you plant ten hectares of maize and the weather remains favorable, no doubt the harvest will be good but should the weather change, then the situation will be different and there is nothing you can do. In short you can only prove someone to be a liar, if the conditions remain exactly the from the time he made the promises.
When HH was campaigning, he had no idea whatsoever about the coming drought, the worst drought in living memory. He could have had a slight idea about our foreign debt but not what he found and saw when he came into office. All these things affected his vision and promises. For example you are talking of mealie meal to come down to K50 per 25 kg bag. Economics says that markets control themselves through supply and demand. The more abundant the commodity is on the market, the less the demand for it and the cheaper it is. And vise versa, the more scarce the commodity is on the market, the more the demand for it and the more expensive it is. In Zambia, you should remember that the drought came during the second season of UPND reign (2023/24). This severe drought led to total crop failure countrywide and to a record law water levels in Kariba dam crippling our hydro power generation there. If I can ask you some questions now, just by using economic common sense, was it possible to bring down the price of mealie meal to k50 in the face of the severe drought? Was it possible to avoid load shedding in the face of low water levels at Kariba? Was it possible to immediately rise or improve the standard of living for people in the face of the huge unsustainable debt? I believe the answer to all these questions is a big NO. And all these challenges are not man made, they are natural challenges and are beyond man’s intervention. As a Reverend you know that in such situations, only God can intervene and not man, not even HH regardless of what he promised the people. Can HH generate electricity when there is no water? He can’t. Can HH flood the markets with cheap mealie meal when there is total crop failure in the country? He can’t, where can he find the maize? It’s therefore unfair to heap the blame on HH on things that he has no control. As a Reverend who reads and teaches people about the Bible on daily basis, you know the story about the children of Israel in the desert. In the desert, they lacked water, food and the conditions were very harsh but instead of looking or crying to God, they cried unto Moses, a fellow man who was just as good as them. Is this not what you are doing ba Reverend? And if you as a Reverend is complaining the loudest, what more with ordinary people like me? As a man of God, stop complaining because you are missing the opportunity which God has given you. Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity. These challenges don’t come by accident, they come for a purpose and through them, God teaches us many lessons which remind us that we are always God dependent. As long as we remain on earth, life will never be 100% good to the delight of everyone. When the children of Israel had lost hope when they saw the pursuing Egyptians, God parted the waters of Red Sea and they all crossed as if on dry land. When they complained of heat from the sun, God gave them a cloud to Hoover above them during the day. When they complained of darkness in the night, God provided a pillar of fire, no load shedding. When they complained of water, Moses was told to hit the Rock and water gashed out as a river. When they complained of food, God rained manna from heaven, he also caused a strong wind which brought the quails near their camp. So as already alluded to, you or us men of God are depriving the people of these beautiful messages because we are failing our duties. Too much politics instead of preaching the Gospel. Let’s preach and take Christ to the people whether they are politicians or ordinary people, that’s is our prime duty. Whatever grievance that we may have, we are not there to confront and fight our own leaders and our own government, that’s not what God expects from us. Just as it was not the fault of Moses in the desert, it’s not the fault of HH for all the challenges that we are facing, and he can not solve them alone. If possible find time to visit the president and give him words of encouragement, pray for him and with him, he is your brother and you are his brother. Abraham once told Lot that there is no need to fight each other, for we are one blood. May God bless you and may God bless Zambia abundantly.
This ‘Reverend’ is very nostalgic about PF brown envelopes. Sir, please begin to adapt to the new dawn decent culture. PF is no more. Up to now you haven’t read its obituary?