By Kellys Kaunda
UPND’S RESPONSE TO MY ARTICLE COMPLETELY OFF THE MARK
My article yesterday was grounded in numbers, official GDP figures to illustrate the state of the economy as at December 2021.
I quoted official GDP figures starting 2012, the first year of PF in office to show that only 2019 and 2020 showed minus GDP figures along with official explanations.
There was NOTHING in my article that touched on UPND in office the past five years, NOTHING!
And yet, UPND responds as though I had attacked free education, school-feeding program, the performance of the mines, etc, etc.
Why the party chose to respond as though I had attacked their record in office, only they know better.
Then the party characterizes my article as “tantrums”.
We as citizens are your masters and you are our servants. Therefore, engage us bearing this relationship in mind.
Why you speak disrespectfully of people that do not push your narrative, I ll never know.
If it be of any comfort to you, I am a believer in free education, free school-feeding program, the current policy regime regarding mining, etc.
BELOW IS THEIR STATEMENT
PRESS STATEMENT
For Immediate Release
UPND RESPONDS TO COMMENTS BY KELLYS KAUNDA
As UPND Media Director, I wish to respond to recent remarks attributed to former diplomat Kellys Kaunda regarding Government’s communication of its achievements.
First and foremost, as the UPND, we rely on facts, data and verifiable national statistics and numbers do not lie. When we took office in 2021, Zambia’s GDP had contracted to approximately -2.7 percent. The economy was shrinking, mines were closing, some were under liquidation, and investor confidence was at its lowest.
Today, mines have reopened, liquidation processes have been reversed, jobs have been restored, and investor confidence has returned. If Kellys is uncomfortable with the revival of the mining sector and economic recovery under President Hakainde Hichilema, that is his personal position, but the facts remain on the ground.
Secondly, there was no free education before 2021. Today, free education is a reality for millions of Zambian children. We have something to celebrate, and we have a duty to explain to the people what their Government has delivered. There is absolutely nothing unlawful about informing citizens of progress made. No law has been broken. If Kellys believes otherwise, he is at liberty to seek legal redress through the courts.
Thirdly, the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) stood at K1.6 million per constituency. Under President Hichilema, it has been increased to K40 million. This is one of the most significant decentralization and devolution reforms in the region. The results are visible across the country, classroom blocks, health posts, skills bursaries, desks in schools and community infrastructure.
Over 200,000 desks have been distributed to schools. More than 42,000 teachers have been recruited, reversing years of employment freezes. Thousands of young people are finding jobs annually, both in the public and private sectors, due to a stabilised macroeconomic environment, reduced inflation to single digits, and renewed investor confidence.
Zambia has recorded growth in foreign direct investment, particularly in manufacturing, where over 16,000 jobs have been created through new industrial initiatives. These are not slogans, they are measurable outcomes.
Education reforms, including free education and the school feeding programme, are not abstract policies. They are lifelines for vulnerable families. While some privileged individuals may not appreciate these interventions, a mother in a rural village and a father in Lundazi who has never earned a payslip before understand the value of free education.
If Kellys is privileged enough to afford three meals a day, he must also recognize that there is a child somewhere who cannot. That is why the school feeding programme is essential. It ensures children stay in school and learn with dignity.
Who should explain what Government has done? It is our responsibility as leaders and communicators. Transparency is not propaganda; it is accountability.
We encourage constructive criticism grounded in research and facts. Tantrums and unsubstantiated assertions do not build the nation. Zambia deserves informed discourse, not emotional rhetoric.
The UPND remains focused on economic recovery, job creation, social protection, and inclusive development. The evidence of progress is visible across the country, and we will continue to communicate it confidently and lawfully to the Zambian people.
Issued by:
Mark Simuuwe
UPND Media Director
You write an article based on an opinion that you have formed about figures. That is your opinion and not fact.
And the first paragraph of this article states that.
If UPND or any other human being forms an opinion to the contrary? Are they wrong? What you state is just an opinion and not fact.
Kellys Kaunda if you are a journalist worth their “salt” aka substance report on articles that state facts. You seem to have a “thin” skin and cant stand the stones thrown “right back at yiu” when you live in a “glass house”.
Find a another trade to ply…clear cheap propaganda and politics are not your fortè
Kaunda, all you write is unintelligent.
George Bernard Shaw — ‘Never wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.’
UPND should choose which comments or opinions are worth dignifying with a response.
That philosophy or saying was effective fifty years ago. Now, trivial presentations like Kelly’s tend to spread and mislead people, so it’s important to stop such heresy early. I urge thoughtful readers to quickly counteract such nonsense to safeguard society.