Precedent, Lungu’s Burial Site and the Cost of HH’s Daily Trekking – Thandiwe Ketiš Ngoma

EDITOR’S CHOICE- Precedent, Lungu’s Burial Site and the Cost of HH’s Daily Trekking

By Thandiwe Ketiš Ngoma

In the heated debate over where the late President Edgar Chagwa Lungu should be buried, President Hakainde Hichilema and his supporters have argued that precedent and tradition dictate he must be interred at Embassy Park. They insist that all former presidents rest there; therefore, Lungu’s burial should be no exception, even though no law compels it.

But if precedent and tradition are to be treated as binding, then that same principle must apply to President Hichilema himself. The precedent for where Zambia’s sitting presidents reside is crystal clear. Since 1935, every head of state, including colonial governors and all six of Hichilema’s predecessors, has lived in Nkwazi House, the official presidential residence. This house was purpose-built for the presidency to avoid unnecessary costs and ensure state security.

If HH truly believes that precedent and tradition must be followed regardless of law, then he should have moved into Nkwazi House upon taking office, just as his predecessors did. Instead, he has chosen to remain in his private residence, creating massive and ongoing costs for taxpayers.

The Cost of Breaking Tradition

Unlike the burial of President Lungu, where, if his family chooses to lay him to rest outside Zambia, the state bears no expense, Hichilema’s choice to ignore the tradition of living in Nkwazi House is costing the public heavily every single day.

HH reportedly undertakes up to six trips daily between his private home and State House. The presidential motorcade collects him in the morning ( Trip 1), takes him to State House (Trip 2), returns him home for lunch (Trip 3), takes him back to State House afterwards (Trip 4), drives him home again after work (Trip 5), and then finally makes a last trip to return the convoy to its base (Trip 6).

Each journey burns through state fuel, requires multiple escort vehicles, and demands the deployment of police officers to line the route for presidential security. These operations are expensive, unbudgeted for, and entirely avoidable. Nkwazi House exists precisely to eliminate such wastage.

A Question of Lawfulness

Government expenditures must be grounded in law. When public funds are spent to support what is effectively the president’s private preference rather than an official requirement, this falls into dangerous territory. Whoever authorises such spending could be guilty of abuse of office. The president himself, as the direct beneficiary, risks being seen as complicit in misusing state resources, which is a serious charge both legally and ethically.

The cost does not stop with transport. Significant taxpayer funds have also been spent on security upgrades to the president’s private residence. Nkwazi House already has such measures in place; no additional expense would have been necessary had HH moved in.

If the argument is that Nkwazi House was in disrepair, then the Ministry of Works and Supply should have rehabilitated it as a matter of public duty for the benefit of the current and future presidents. Instead, the upgrades have been diverted to a private property, which creates an awkward legal and political risk. Future governments could claim the property as state-owned due to the public investment, or HH could face allegations of abuse of office after leaving power.

Precedent Cannot Be Selective

It is inconsistent to demand that President Lungu be buried at Embassy Park in the name of tradition while ignoring a much older and more established tradition of where the sitting head of state resides. If we are to hold one leader to precedent, we must hold all leaders to precedent.

Tradition, by its nature, cannot be selectively enforced. Either it binds everyone, or it binds no one. If HH is unwilling to follow the tradition of living in the official residence, it is hypocritical for him to demand that Lungu’s family should follow the tradition of burial at Embassy Park, especially when his own choice costs the public far more than the alternative.

Zambia deserves consistency. If precedent is to matter, let it matter in all things, not only when it suits political convenience.