CATHOLIC BISHOPS REJECT CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT BILL NO. 7 OF 2025, CALLS FOR INCLUSIVE PROCESS
The Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) has reaffirmed its principled disapproval of the revised Constitution Amendment Bill No. 7 of 2025, warning that the current draft fails to uphold the foundational values of participatory democracy, transparency, and constitutional integrity.
In a statement issued today, the bishops stressed the need for a genuinely inclusive and consultative process that respects the voices of all stakeholders, including citizens, civil society, faith-based institutions, traditional leaders, and legal experts.
“We strongly urge that the ongoing judicial appointments process be reconsidered. The process must at all times and stages meet the standards of transparency, merit, and public accountability that our democracy demands,” the bishops said.
The ZCCB further exhorted Zambians to remain united under the banner of One Zambia, One Nation to ensure the steady growth of the country’s young democracy for the benefit of future generations.
The statement was signed at Kapingila House in Lusaka on October 1, 2025, by ZCCB President and Archbishop of Kasama, Most Rev. Ignatius Chama; ZCCB Vice President and Bishop of Solwezi, Rt. Rev. Charles Kasonde; Archbishop of Lusaka, Most Rev. Dr. Alick Banda; and Archbishop of Ndola, Most Rev. Dr. Benjamin Phiri.
In military terms, ma Bishops ba supuka, I think t is Alick who misinformed them. They have clearly been caught wrong footed! They are fond of issuing statements without even checking that they have correct facts. As a result, they now have got eggs on their faces which is shameful! Ideally, they should have apologized but we know that they wont out of their own pride!
Just because the president is SDA. Had he been Catholic like Micheal, they would have been living in state house. We see, we think, therefore we are.
It does not surprise me anymore what these so called ‘men of the cloth’ come up with…
Instead of them commending HH7 they are busy pouring all sorts of misinformation…
Basupuka zoona…
Now that a Technical Committee has been put in place, they will find something else to say against HH7…
We know what they are up to but HH7 is always One Step Ahead of Them…
The Committee is in Place now, let them work and come up with the Draft ASAP…
We need Delimitation + other Amendments…
We are however Alive to the Fact that these may not Affect the General Elections in 2026 but Steps to Amend the Constitution for the Future using Wider Consultation would have been Done…
Thank you HH7 fir your Understanding and Wise Leadership….
Even their ZCCB is composed of Bishops from 2 provinces only, Northern and Eastern! They dont even have consciousnesses and any shame at all. We know who they are!
Paranoia!
The Position of the Catholic church on Bill 7 is Clear. It shouldn’t be brought on the floor of Parliament ,ever again, as the Process used was illegal, Illegitimate and Unconstitutional.Today , Tomorrow or any day.
Bill 7 is dead. Completely Dead, and never to be resurrected again.
Ofcourse the Mingalatoon knows what he is up against..
He is caught between a rock and a hard place.
Thank you the Zambia Catholic Church Bishops…The Mingalatoon has gone into hiding..But we are depending on you so that all his schemes fall flat.
Bwana,just accept the bishops were fooled.They are not infallible and like Chilyata has observed,to them it will be weaknesses to apologise.So next time they issue a pastoral letter, take it with a pinch of salt because it will be tasteless
After realizing that the pressure on the Illegal , Unconstitutional and Illegitimate Bill 7 won’t go away, Mr Hakainde Hichilema has in October , 2025 come up with a Technical Committee to get views on Constitutional Amendments .
That Technical has to be given legal backing by Parliament..Then sworn in with the terms of reference. November , 2025
Then the committee will have to move through out the the 10 provinces , for about 10 weeks, up to February, 2026. The views have to be compiled and a draft Bill prepared up to March 2026.
Then the Bill will need to be presented to Parliament for First , Second and Third Reading. May, 2026.
In the same month of May , Parliament has to be dissolved.
Meanwhile the preparations for the Presidential and General Elections are supposed to be done. How will ECZ do the
Preparations when they don’t know what will be in the Constitution? Whether there will be Proportion Representation , Coalition government etc.
Can someone tell Mr Hakainde Hichilema that this is a non starter. It cannot work.
There’s simply no time for this exercise.
He is embarrassing him self.
This latest stunt he has started will be opposed by the People.
That is why this country has sunk to the bottom of the economic Pit: Because of people who cant think beyond their noses but only think short term and want to eat NOW and not in future. Is this Constitution Amendment targeting August 2026? I thought it is long term, whichever Party wins August 2026, why can’t they continue and amend the damn faulty Document, if it is really faulty? I bet my last Ngwee that if another moronic Party wins August 2026, it will disband this Technical Committee and start all over like headless chickens with this Constitution Amendment Circus. How many Commissions are we going to have (Chona Commision, Mun’gomba Commission, Mvunga, NCC, etc…) as a tiny country of 20 million plus people?. The main reason: Too much Partisan Interests.
@simpo sitali
There’s no time for the Constitutional Amendment Technical Committee Mr Hakainde Hichilema has constituted to amend the constitution.
He was supposed to have done this in 2023.
We are remaining with 6 months before the dissolution of Parliament..and we are now in an Election Season.
The destiny of Unhinged Imingalato is always Embarrassment.
Stealthy Manoeuvres, Schemes and deceit always fall flat.
Indeed every Mingalatoon has his day of reckoning.
This latest stunt by Mr Hakainde Hichilema is not going anywhere. There’s simply no Time.
May our Catholic Church Bishops tell the Man…
Let me drink my coffee as I watch the man embarrassing him self in real Time.
Sir, the Technical Committee and the Constitution Amendment should not be targeting August 2026 General Election but long term. Let it go beyond August 2026 whichever Party wins August election and not be disbanded, whichever Party wins, moronic or not. How can I explain my point any simpler? Why do we always have to be partisan and politick even on straight forward national matters, Sir?
I think @Nkunku man has been caught wrong footed. Firstly he, like the Catholic Bishops spread the lies that HH wants to push Bill 7 at all costs without broad consultation. Now that a Technical Committee has been formed, look out for them continue to hide their shame in two ways. Firstly they will try and say the Technical Committee was formed only after the Catholic Bishop’s letter. This is ofcourse nonsense because you can’t form such a committee in a day as it requires consultations and background checks. Then they will try and lie that HH is pushing the whole process to be completed before the next election. If all of that fails they will simply say the nation is busy with campaign and Lungu’s burial so the whole exercise should only start after next elections and after Lungu’s burial. Cantankerous and ridiculous as it seems. Just watch.
@Simpo Sitali
One thing I can infer from your comment is that you are agreed that the time for the Constitutional Review Committee to amend the Constitution is too short..and you are looking at it in the longer term, beyond 2026.
This is equally my point.
The compounding factor is that we are now in an Election Season…and ‘Sobriety’ in this period is really a tough call. How the nation can carry out such a process in the midst of Mass Political Mobilisation is really beyond comprehension.
The Referendum on the Expanded Bill of Rights in 2016 failed for the same reason. We were in an Election Season, and the Bill meant to give us more rights was rejected, because of Political Fever.
The approach our President had employed on the Constitutional Reviews from the start was flawed.. Now he wants to do the right thing at a Wrong Time! Equally Flawed.
A lot of so called prominent people don’t want anything progressive in Zambia. These are the PF Chilufya Tayalis that want to eat through the so called constitution amendment commissions every single term of a new government. They will fight tooth and nail any progressive ideas to amend known problematic sections of the constitution so that they can justify unfruitful and unnecessary expenditures on the constitution even when there contributions are underwhelming. It’s about the huge unjustified allowances they get which they can’t get anywhere else. Now here’s a kicker why didn’t all these oppose Lungu’s accenting of a flawed constitution???? Wake up Zambians and see why these people hinder progress and development! Has anyone observed the levels of immorality in society including the part contributed by the so called clergy?
When Former President MrSata did the dilimitation creating Muchinga as a province and other districts no one or these bishops made noise he just work up and made an announcements since us in rural areas need development let those who live in towns represented by bishops remain, The chiefs have supported please ba President don’t wast time with the so called persons Lusaka is not Zambia,God is watching.