By Fanny Kalonda
THOSE who booed Edgar Lungu are yet to pay the price, says Bowman Lusambo.
He says the country is where it is because of poor leadership that does not care about the living standards of its people.
Lusambo stressed that the people who booed former president Edgar Lungu at Heroes Stadium during President Hakainde Hichilema’s swearing-in ceremony are yet to pay the price.
He said only God knows the price fit for them.
“We are now at a crossroads because as you can see, the people in the compounds are dying of economic situation that is at its lowest point. And this is all because of the bad leadership we have in the country, called UPND. They do not have a plan in all sectors of the economy,” he said.
“One of the promises President Hakainde made was fuel prices and he was there with his calculators. The reason the country is here is because we don’t have leaders who are sincere. They told us that the reason why fuel is expensive is because of middlemen who were getting K3. We expected him to remove middlemen so that the fuel can be cheaper.”
Speaking on Muvi TV’s Special Interview programme, Lusambo said if people do not realise that the country has poor leadership, it would be very dangerous for the country.
He said if the increase in fuel prices was really because of the Russia-Ukraine war, the country would have seen its leadership cushioning the standards of living of Zambians.
Lusambo said when in opposition, the UPND told people that the reason fuel was expensive was because of middlemen.
He said it was expected that the UPND government would remove middlemen and cushion the prices which they have not done.
Lusambo charged that fuel prices increase should not be attributed to war but to the poor leadership the country has in UPND.
He said the country should expect “bigger” increments than seen today.
Lusambo charged that the International Monetary Fund “is coming to finish Zambians”.
“Economic situation is at its worst because the leadership has no plan to develop the economy. They had no plan to develop the country. If they are saying it is because of Ukraine, the country would have seen leadership by cushioning the standard of living for the people. We are now at a crossroads because as you can see, the people in the compounds are dying of economic situation that is at its lowest point. And this is all because of the bad leadership we have in the country called UPND. They do not have a plan in all sectors of the economy,” he said. “If you have a government that is a caring government today, and you have a situation in Russia and Ukraine the way it is, and affecting Zambians, that is where you can see leadership. Today we would have the President addressing us, that they are reducing fuel which is affecting us. Because of leadership from [former] president [Edgar] Lungu, the country was not [put on] lock down during the pandemic. The cause is not the war it is bad leadership that the country has. One of the promises President Hakainde made was fuel prices and he was there with his calculators. The reason the country is here is because we don’t have leaders who are sincere. They told us that the reason why fuel is expensive is because of middlemen who were getting K3. We expected him to remove middlemen so that the fuel can be cheaper. These increments you are seeing are just ‘John the Baptist’, the big one is coming. When the IMF is here they will demand taxes on fuel.”
Lusambo said UPND ministers “are just for decoration as they have no answers to the critical questions in the country”.
“All those ministers you are seeing are just for decoration. We have seen the behaviour. They are not working and have the same answer from the Vice-President [Mutale Nalumango] to all ministers which is ‘when funds are available’. They don’t have answers and were not ready to govern,” he charged.
“They don’t have answers to the many questions asked by the people.”
Lusambo further said the shortage of medicines in hospitals is a big concern that required the President to visit health centres in compounds and not going to the Ministry of Health.
He said by visiting health centres in compounds, President Hichilema would have had first-hand information on what people are really going through.
Lusambo said the Ministry of Health was stuck because they have realised that the old suppliers “are just Zambians chosen to supply medicines on merit”.
“So today, we may end up having substandard medicines in the country if we are not careful,” he said.
Lusambo said the new dawn administration should not mess things up for the PF which he said was bouncing back to power in 2026.
“The issue of medicines is a very big issue and we saw the President going there. He was not supposed to go there. He has powers to delegate and he is the President but he should not have gone to Ministry of Health. He was supposed to go to Mtendere clinic or any other clinic in the compound to get the firsthand information from Zambians that are going through this. The situation is real as they do not even have cannulas in these clinics. The priority was not going there but go in compounds to check on the situation. Some of the suppliers had done it for more than 40 years but they [UPND] wanted their own people to supply medicines. The Ministry is stuck because they realised that suppliers are Zambians chosen to supply medicines on merit,” he said. “Technocrats are like wives at home. If you don’t treat them well, they can even kill you. They behave like wives, if you don’t take better care of your wife she may end up killing you. If you don’t keep them well, they can even start refusing to iron your clothes. They have been there and seen governments come and go. Technocrats if you take them like that Hakainde will just come out without even constructing a pit latrine, if you are playing with them. They will frustrate him if he frustrates them. Don’t underestimate technocrats. If you want to see the worst government, it is coming in the name of UPND. My advice to the new dawn is that we don’t want to come and find things messed up when we come [back] in 2026. Who can vote for UPND who have no vision? If the President wanted, let him dissolve parliament ‘tichayeko ka’ (we play) a friendly. Today the most unpopular MPs are UPND ministers. They are just messing up the country and the system. They have no capacity to fight technocrats. The UPND was supposed to work with technocrats. That’s why us we want to respect the civil service.”
Meanwhile, Lusambo said the new dawn should include privatisation in the fight against corruption.
He said they should review the all process as they are fighting against corruption.