Tayali Is the Rot in Zambian Politics: A Political Parasite Begging for Relevance

Tayali Is the Rot in Zambian Politics: A Political Parasite Begging for Relevance

By Thandiwe Ketis Ngoma

When I came across the recent statement attributed to Chilufya Tayali: “I know PF’s secrets. If UPND works with me as their consultant and allows me to come back home, I will make them win in 2026,” I was left completely baffled. Who in their right mind would take this man seriously?

Chilufya Tayali has long earned his reputation as Zambia’s most unreliable political flip-flopper, a man whose allegiance changes not based on principle but on survival. A self-made political commentator turned beggar for hire, Tayali has no consistent ideology, no moral compass, and certainly no credibility left. He survives on handouts, thrives on drama, and has made a career out of blackmailing politicians with shallow threats and theatrical exposés.

For anyone familiar with his antics, this recent outburst is nothing more than a desperate cry for relevance.

Yet we must not ignore the irony of it all. The very government he now seeks to serve, the UPND under the heavy-handed leadership of President Hakainde Hichilema, is the same one currently pursuing him with politically motivated and trumped-up charges. That same government previously weaponized him, using him as a blunt instrument to attack the opposition. Now that the tables have turned, Tayali has the audacity to suggest he could help the UPND win elections in 2026.

Win what? With what constituency? With what credibility?

Chilufya Tayali is currently living in Malaysia, having applied for asylum after fleeing what he claimed was political persecution by the UPND regime. He alleged threats, harassment, and fabricated legal charges. One would think a man in exile, fighting what he once called a dictatorship, would remain committed to exposing that tyranny. But no, Tayali, ever the political chameleon, is now trying to sell himself to the same forces he once decried.

Let us be clear. This is not about strategy or patriotism. This is about desperation.

Tayali has no mass appeal. He has no base. He has no serious political record to speak of, only a long history of betrayal, character assassination, and shameless opportunism. Whether he was attacking former President Edgar Lungu and the PF or switching gears to assault HH and the UPND, Tayali has always operated with one objective: staying politically relevant just long enough to earn the next envelope.

Anyone who dares to trust him has not been paying attention or, worse, is so morally bankrupt that even a snake oil salesman like Tayali seems useful.

It is not even surprising that the UPND, under Hichilema’s increasingly authoritarian rule, at one time found Tayali a useful tool. They too are desperate, desperate to destroy a united opposition, desperate to cling to power, and willing to work with anyone, no matter how toxic, as long as they serve that purpose. But engaging Tayali is not just short-sighted; it is embarrassing. It reveals the rot, the lack of ideological discipline, and the utter disdain for integrity in our current political culture.

Let us call this for what it is: a failed political actor begging for a new role in a play he has already ruined for everyone else.

Tayali has burned bridges in every direction. The PF knows him as a traitor. The UPND used him as a pawn and now brand him a criminal. The Zambian people, regardless of political affiliation, see him as a nuisance, not a national asset. His appeal to work as a consultant is laughable and should be treated as such.

If the UPND is even entertaining the thought of engaging him again, it is not only a betrayal of the rule of law they claim to uphold but a clear admission of political bankruptcy.

Zambia deserves better. We deserve leaders and analysts who are driven by principle, not by pocket change. Tayali is not a strategist. He is a symbol of everything wrong with our political system, where noise is mistaken for insight, where chaos is confused for strategy, and where shamelessness is rewarded more than service.

As 2026 approaches, Zambians must reject political mercenaries of Tayali’s ilk and demand a higher standard for leadership and engagement. The future of our democracy cannot be entrusted to loudmouth opportunists in exile but to citizens and leaders grounded in values, truth, and courage.