The Electricity Chessboard: A Political Gamble for Votes in 2026?

The Electricity Chessboard: A Political Gamble for Votes in 2026?

The government’s proclaimed prioritization of power supply to low-income areas, while on the surface a compassionate policy, is a carefully calculated political maneuver. This is not a selfless act of social justice, but a high-stakes gamble on the “electricity chessboard” with the 2026 elections in mind. The moves and counter-moves by the government and ZESCO reveal a narrative that is both contradictory and deeply cynical.

Minister Makozo Chikote’s claim of providing 10 to 12 hours of electricity daily to low-income areas is met with a cold, dark reality on the ground. The lived experience of residents in the compounds tells a very different story. The average Zambian in these areas is often receiving a paltry 3 to 5 hours of power supply a day, if they are lucky. This glaring disconnect between official statements and the reality for the common person is a powerful indictment of the government’s sincerity.

While the government seeks to win favor in the compounds, it has simultaneously increased the burden on residents in medium and high-density areas, who are now facing longer hours of load shedding. This is a classic political “two-edged sword.” The government is attempting to secure a large and influential voting bloc by offering a small concession, while hoping that the frustration of another, more economically stable group will not translate into a significant political backlash.

The government’s continued rhetoric about ZESCO’s financial challenges and the export of power by the Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC) to the DRC adds fuel to the fire. The public rightly questions why a nation grappling with a crippling power deficit is still exporting electricity, even if it is through ZESCO’s infrastructure. This seems to be a clear case of prioritizing revenue and foreign obligations over the fundamental needs of its own people.

The people of Zambia are not naive. They are keenly aware of the political machinations at play. They know that a few months of slightly improved power supply before an election is not a solution to a long-term problem. It is a temporary bandage on a deep wound. The promise of long-term energy reforms, including cost-reflective tariffs and new investments, is met with skepticism when the immediate present is marked by an unequal and unpredictable electricity supply.

This situation has exposed the government’s vulnerability. By creating a divide in power supply, it has created a breeding ground for political opposition and public dissent. The public is watching, analyzing the actions of those in power. They are weighing the government’s claims against their daily lived experience of blackouts. They are witnessing how those in power prioritize their political survival over the well-being of the nation.

The government’s current energy policy is a high-stakes gamble for the 2026 elections. It is a bet that the goodwill earned from a short-term, and largely fictional, increase in power supply to low-income areas will outweigh the anger and frustration of all other households. But the people of Zambia are not a monolithic voting bloc to be swayed by a cheap political fix.

They are a nation of individuals whose livelihoods and aspirations are tied to a stable electricity supply. This “two-edged sword” election ploy may not just consume the hands holding it, but may also ignite a fuse of popular discontent that burns brighter than any light bulb, threatening to plunge the entire political landscape into darkness.

The Struggle Continues

Sensio Banda
Former Member of Parliament
Kasenengwa Constituency
Eastern Province