THE PRIEST VS THE PRESIDENT

THE PRIEST VS THE PRESIDENT

By David Chikwanda

The Catholic Church is not just a church — it is the largest charitable organization in the world, with immense global influence. It runs schools, hospitals, and universities in almost every country.

In Zambia, that influence is even deeper. The Church has historically been the conscience of the nation. From the 1991 transition to multiparty politics, to the mediation in 2001 third-term debate, to its pastoral letters that have shaped public opinion before every general election, no politician ascends to State House without at least tacit backing from the Catholic leadership. It is considered political suicide to fight or sideline the Catholic Church.

In 2026, President Hakainde Hichilema of the UPND went into the elections amidst open tension with the Catholic Church. The immediate trigger was the case involving a Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) Toyota Hilux found in the possession of the Archbishop of Lusaka, Dr. Alick Banda.

To understand this, we must go back: In 2023, ZRA seized several vehicles under investigations of under-valuation and tax evasion. Some of these vehicles were later controversially allocated or auctioned. One of them, a white Hilux registered as a ZRA enforcement vehicle, ended up in use by the Archdiocese. The matter went quiet until 2025 when it was revived and Dr. Banda was summoned to the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) for a warn-and-caution statement over possession of suspected government property.

It is a well-known fact in Church and political circles that Dr. Alick Banda harbours deep personal dislike for President Hichilema. For example, in 2021, during Sunday homilies and pastoral engagements, he openly questioned Hichilema’s leadership while appearing to favour then President Edgar Lungu of the Patriotic Front. Despite that, the majority of Catholic faithful voted for Hichilema and he won.

In 2025, when former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu died in South Africa, the dispute over his funeral and burial place became a national crisis. It is widely believed that Dr. Alick Banda was among the church leaders who advised the Lungu family that President Hichilema should not attend the funeral or go near the casket. That moment became the boiling point of the battle between the priest and the president.

Soon after, the dormant ZRA Hilux case was reactivated. The DEC summoning was interpreted by many as political, but by others as a legitimate question of accountability.

As the country went into campaigns for the 2026 General Election, the Catholic leadership took an unusually political stance. For instance, the church held high-profile candlelight prayers which were attended by opposition leaders Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu, the main rivals of President Hichilema. In one service in Lusaka, Dr. Alick Banda publicly prayed for and anointed Brian Mundubile, with many interpreting it as an endorsement as the next President. What was projected to be an easy election for Hichilema became highly contested.

Once again, Hakainde Hichilema emerged victorious. The opposition claimed the election was rigged — a claim many Zambians find laughable given the margins and the parallel voter tabulation results.

So, did a mighty and sophisticated institution like the Catholic Church fail to defeat Hakainde Hichilema in 2026?

The Bible gives us two lessons.

First, David defeated Goliath, a giant, but refused to fight Saul because he believed Saul was anointed by God (1 Samuel 24:6). Power without God’s approval fails.

Second, God told Moses NOT to fight the Amorites at one point because the time was not right (Deuteronomy 2:19), but later told Joshua to fight and defeat them. This teaches us: do not engage in a fight without hearing from God.

It is a grave mistake to think Hakainde Hichilema has no backing of God. David knew that Saul was anointed but Saul refused to accept that David was also anointed. God’s anointing is not limited to the people you like, God can anoint even your enemy.

Though Dr. Alick Banda has managed to draw the entire Catholic Church into this personal battle, his fight against President Hichilema appears personal, not doctrinal. Using the immense influence of the church to fight personal battles ruins the reputation of the church itself.

As Prophet Uebert Angel of Zimbabwe said after the Zambian election, “If the elections were rigged, then God rigged them.” What he meant was simple: you cannot use God’s name to fight a personal political battle and expect God to back you. You cannot hold a political rally inside a cathedral a day before elections and call it a “Prayer for Peace.” God cannot be mocked.

We know Dr. Banda and his team will go back to the drawing board and may even consider other options, but the dent left on the image of the Church will be difficult to erase.

We are all children of God and only He will judge us. King David took another man’s wife and caused the death of her husband, yet he was still called “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22), and it is through his lineage that Jesus was born. The point is grace, not judgment.

The role of the Church is not to judge or condemn, but to speak the voice of God. If you are leading the Church, do not speak your own opinion and call it the voice of God. No matter how powerful and influential you are, if God is not on your side, do not fight.

The case of the ZRA Hilux is not a fight against the Catholic Church. It is an individual accountability issue. The vehicle was not gifted to the Archdiocese of Lusaka as an institution — it was found in possession of a person.

The Church must stand for truth and justice no matter who is involved. Three simple questions must be answered:

1. Was the Hilux government property belonging to ZRA? Yes.
2. Does it belong to Dr. Alick Banda now? Yes, it was found with him.
3. How did he acquire it? Was it donated, bought at auction, or allocated? Show the papers.

This is what the country needs to know.

Jesus Christ was offered the kingdoms of the earth and their power by Satan, but He refused (Matthew 4:8-10). How then did a priest fall for a simple Hilux and start anointing leaders whom God had rejected?

The Church must be careful. You may defeat or even kill Hakainde Hichilema politically, but the dent that will remain on the Church will be difficult to erase.

Thank you for reading.

David Chikwanda