UPND’s 4-Point Mingalato Plan to a 2026 “Victory”- Thandiwe Ketiš Ngoma

UPND’s 4-Point Mingalato Plan to a 2026 “Victory”

By Thandiwe Ketiš Ngoma

With just 12 months remaining before the 2026 general elections, a clear and calculated strategy by the United Party for National Development (UPND) is beginning to take shape. According to credible sources, including within UPND’s own intelligence networks, the ruling party has realized it faces an uphill battle to retain power if it does not address key challenges facing Zambians today.

These include the high cost of fuel, rising mealie-meal prices, chronic loadshedding, a stagnating economy, and a compromised electoral environment. In response, UPND appears to be rolling out what can best be described as a four-point “mingalato” plan: a subtle but aggressive strategy aimed at securing re-election through manipulation, optics, and control.

Fellow citizens, read the newspapers, follow the social media chatter, and listen carefully to every pronouncement from government. This mingalato strategy is not accidental. It is being rolled out step by step, and if you pay close attention, you will see the pieces falling into place.

Mingalato 1: Constitutional and Legal Changes

The sudden urgency around key legal reforms should raise alarm bells for every Zambian. From the rapid passing of the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act to the CCTV Act and persistent pushes for constitutional amendments, UPND is laying down the legal framework to suppress dissent and control the electoral process.

Two of these Acts have already been passed with little national debate. Despite clear pronouncements from the Constitutional Court, the proposed amendments are not going away. Watch closely. These changes are designed to limit criticism, silence the opposition, and re-engineer electoral boundaries through gerrymandering. If allowed to proceed unchecked, they could guarantee a UPND majority by 2026 regardless of public opinion.

Mingalato 2: Voter Roll Manipulation

One of the most suspicious developments is that the Civil Service Commission Chairman, who also chairs UPND Research, is playing an active role in the national census and voter registration process. Coincidence? Hardly.

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has announced an ambitious and highly questionable target of registering 10.5 million voters, a figure that defies demographic realities. Meanwhile, Zambia is conducting continuous registration, a system that opens the door to quiet and ongoing manipulation. Without regular audits and independent oversight, this process risks becoming a backdoor route to inflate or distort the voter roll.

Political parties and civil society must demand quarterly audits at a minimum, or risk finding themselves outnumbered on election day by ghost voters and manipulated figures.

Mingalato 3: False Economic Achievements

UPND has been warned that its electoral fate hinges on economic performance. In response, the government has launched a campaign of short-term, cosmetic economic fixes meant to create an illusion of recovery ahead of the elections.

One example is the recent reduction in fuel transportation prices by Agrofuel. This was not the result of market forces but a deliberate tactic to temporarily lower pump prices. ZESCO has also signed power supply agreements with 29 independent power producers despite lacking the funds to sustain them. This is clearly another headline-grabbing move aimed at convincing voters that loadshedding will end, although the goalposts have already shifted from June to December.

At the center of this false economic narrative is the President himself. He recently claimed that food prices have dropped, fuel prices are down, inflation is under control, and maize production is at its highest level since independence. However, if you check the latest JCTR report, none of these claims hold up. Instead, they are part of a broader effort to push Mingalato 3.

Watch the fuel prices. Watch the mealie-meal prices. Watch the government’s announcements. You will see a carefully staged parade of supposed achievements, all timed to influence public perception before 2026. Yet few of these so-called successes are sustainable.

And do not overlook the wave of glowing international media reports branding Zambia as an “economic miracle.” Many of these are paid-for narratives designed to distract from the real, lived experiences of ordinary Zambians. Ask yourself: do these glowing headlines reflect your reality?

Mingalato 4: Opposition Shopping, Arm-Twisting, and Pressure Tactics

As 2026 approaches, UPND is preparing for an aggressive political offensive. With its war chest growing and pressure mounting, expect a wave of defections, silencing, and legal harassment targeting opposition figures and influential voices.

The message is simple: defect, reconcile, or be destroyed.

Legal cases will surface. Debts will be resurrected. Political opponents will either vanish from public discourse, cross over to UPND, or be suffocated by legal troubles and financial strain. Citizens must pay close attention to who suddenly goes quiet, who changes political stripes, and who becomes the subject of targeted attacks or investigations.

This is Mingalato 4, and it is already underway.

Conclusion: A Warning for Zambia’s Democracy

The four-point mingalato plan, though cleverly disguised, poses a clear and present danger to Zambia’s democratic integrity. These tactics are not aimed at genuine reform or economic revival. They are about control, manipulation, and engineering a win by any means necessary.

If you doubt this, simply watch UPND’s behavior from today onward. Track their actions. Analyze their announcements. Compare their strategies to the four mingalato pillars outlined here.

Then ask yourself: is this a government working for the people, or working to stay in power at any cost?