STOP RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT! SHOW US WHAT YOU’VE MANAGED FIRST!

STOP RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT! SHOW US WHAT YOU’VE MANAGED FIRST!

David T. Zyambo | 4 October 2025

It feels like everyone in Zambia wants to be president. Drive around Lusaka, check social media, watch the breakfast shows on TV, or listen to the radio—everywhere you turn, someone is declaring their ambition. Just the other day, I ran into a street beggar in town who was asking for money, promising to remember me when he becomes president. Many good people see State House as the ultimate prize, yet some have never even managed a successful kantemba, let alone a larger venture.

This is not about the law—the Constitution already tells us you need a Grade 12 certificate, to be 35, and a citizen. This is about what truly makes a leader ready to run a complex, struggling, but hopeful nation like Zambia. It’s about passing the real-world test.

I’m not trying to cap your ambitions, but before you ever entertain the thought of running for president, stop, introspect, and confirm these critical things are in your toolbox:

1. Can You Run Anything Successfully?

This is the CEO Test. Forget the speeches and political rhetoric for a moment. Have you ever built or managed anything of real size? The President is the Chief Executive Officer of the Republic of Zambia. That’s a CEO responsible for a $30 billion economy and 20 million lives, encompassing infrastructure, treasury, and public welfare. Imagine hiring a CEO for ZESCO or a major mining company. Would you hire someone with zero experience, with absolutely no business acumen, no demonstrable leadership ability, and no understanding of complex supply chains? Of course not! If we demand proof of performance for a parastatal, why do we accept less for the highest office? At what moment did we collectively lower the fundamental, non-negotiable standards for managing an entire nation?

I believe this fundamental disconnect is where Zambia has always got it wrong. Being a long-serving politician is not the same as being a seasoned executive. Let’s take Jack Mwiimbu for example—he has been a Member of Parliament since 2001, a long 24 years. Hate him or love him, you have to respect him because Mwiimbu understands that longevity in politics is not a substitute for executive leadership; no wonder you’ve never seen him declaring presidential ambitions, opting instead for roles where his strengths are best utilized. A ready candidate must show a verifiable track record of executive leadership. This means they have successfully managed large teams, controlled a big budget, and made tough, high-stakes decisions. If a candidate has never run a major venture, a large business, or a significant organisation, they haven’t passed the basic “Can-You-Manage-It?” test. They must prove they can lead effectively before they ask to lead the whole nation.

2. Can You Show Us the Money Plan?

This is the Financial Acumen Test. Our country has been living on a wing and a prayer, constantly battling huge national debt since the 1970s, perpetual economic malaise that has pushed the majority of our population below the poverty line. Your good heart and your street popularity aren’t enough to solve this—you need a proper roadmap.

A president-ready candidate doesn’t just offer empty political slogans or vague promises about making things better. Instead, they prove their executive competence by delivering a concrete, believable, and fully budgeted economic roadmap for the nation. This isn’t just a wish list; it’s a strategic blueprint that details exactly how they plan to tackle the country’s most complex challenges, including the crucial tasks of: executing a multi-year fiscal consolidation plan to effectively manage the debt, fundamentally re-engineering the national industrial base to create new, sustainable revenue streams, and unlocking global capital through the successful negotiation of complex international investment instruments.

So, since you strongly believe you can be president of Zambia, do you even have an economic policy, or know what must be contained in one? One thing I know for sure is that you cannot conceptualize what you don’t understand; you always operate within your own frame of reference. Since recent history shows no presidential candidate has presented a solid economic policy—just vague, ten-point wishlists that barely scratch the surface—what exactly is your policy frame of reference? I believe that to even begin, you need financial acumen: the wisdom to expertly manage the national chequebook and decisively stop the wastage of our tax money. Without that exposure and experience, where is that wisdom going to come from?

My fellow Zambians, we must treat national affairs with the gravity they demand. We need to understand, right now, that this lack of seriousness is a threat to our very existence as a thriving nation; it is a fatal weakness we can no longer afford.

3. How is Your Personal Report Card?

This is the Integrity Test. We’ve all seen good leaders start well only to be swallowed by corruption. Why does this happen? A great majority of them have never managed anything of genuine, tangible scale, and critically, have never achieved true financial success in their personal lives. They entered politics because their most basic needs—as defined by Maslow’s hierarchy—were never truly met. When such people assume higher office, ni sangwapo pro-max: they don’t come to serve, but only to eat, enrich themselves, and empty our national treasury. You can’t fight a rot you are a part of—and many of you wanting to run for the presidency are currently in court, unable to account for the things you have. A presidential candidate must demonstrate an unwavering commitment to clean governance and the rule of law.

Running for the highest office should be the ultimate act of self-actualization—the final stage in Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. This means a candidate must have already met their own basic needs, achieved financial stability, and attained personal success, leaving them fully prepared to dedicate their energies to the nation. If a person hasn’t done well for themselves yet, their drive to lead may be rooted in personal deficiency rather than a genuine desire to serve others; they’re not coming to help, but to take. The presidency should not be a ladder out of poverty or obscurity; it should be the platform for a leader who is already fulfilled and now seeks to help the nation reach its own potential.

4. Are You for Zambia or Just Your Village?

This is the Unity Test. Zambia’s greatest treasure is our peace and unity. A president must be a symbol of national unity for all ten provinces, not just a champion for one region, tribe, or political party. A ready candidate must show they can transcend tribal politics and bring different people and views together. Their leadership should make every Zambian feel they belong and are equally represented. If their language is divisive, if they incite anger against other groups, or if they only reward people from their own corner, they fail the National Unity test. A president must put the country first, always.

The presidency is not a popularity contest, a retirement plan, or a shortcut to personal wealth; it is the ultimate executive challenge. We must stop accepting candidates whose only qualification is ambition or a long stay in politics.

The next President of Zambia must meet the CEO Test by showing a proven track record of managing complexity; they must pass the Financial Acumen Test by presenting a credible, costed blueprint for economic rescue; they must ace the Integrity Test by operating from a place of personal fulfillment, not deficiency; and above all, they must embody the Unity Test, proving they are for Zambia, not just a faction of it.

To every aspiring candidate: The burden of proof is on you. Show us your personal success, show us your plan, and show us your integrity before you ask us for the highest office.

To every Zambian voter: The responsibility is ours. Let us demand performance, not promises. Let us choose a proven manager, not a politician. The future of our struggling, but hopeful, nation depends on us raising the bar. We deserve a leader who is ready, not one who is merely willing.