WHY CAMPAIGNS ARE SOOOOOOOOO BORING
By Steve So Sick
If you walk down Broadway Street, take a stroll through Kansenshi, or visit the bustling markets in Masala and Chifubu right now, you might completely forget that Ndola is in the middle of a high-stakes election year. Where are the roaring mini-bus convoys packed with chanting cadres flying down President Avenue? Where are the towering billboards at the traffic lights, the free-flowing cash handouts, and the endless t-shirts painting the Copperbelt in party colors?
The 2026 campaigns feel undeniably, overwhelmingly boring. But beneath this surface-level silence lies a radical shift in Zambian politics—one defined by tight pockets, internal party drama, and a completely rewritten rulebook.
1. CADRES SEEM TO HAVE FEAR OR IS IT ORDER?
In previous election cycles, Copperbelt campaigns were fueled by aggressive street clashes, cadres blocking major roads, and open political intimidation. That chaotic “excitement” is entirely gone. Today’s environment in Ndola is highly peaceful, which—while a massive win for public safety—has stripped the elections of the high-stakes theatrical tension Zambians are used to.
2. NO MONEY PA GROUND
The festive, carnival-like mood of past elections has flattened because the money tap has run completely dry. Political actors across the board, including Democratic Union presidential candidate Ackim Antony Njobvu, have openly noted a severe lack of cash flowing through the campaigns. Local radio stations in Ndola haven’t received the usual advertising budgets from politicians, and major street branding has vanished. In fact, central party leaderships are actively urging their own candidates to hoard their cash rather than waste it on lavish public displays.
3. UBUPUBA PA MEDIA
No One is Saying Foolish Things OnlineThe era of reckless political drama on social media has officially ended. In previous years, Facebook, TikTok, and WhatsApp groups were flooded with politicians and supporters trading insults, spreading wild rumors, and launching aggressive personal attacks. Now, no one is going on socials to say foolish things anymore. The passing and aggressive enforcement of strict legal frameworks—specifically the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act—have struck fear into the political landscape. Because digital insults, hate speech, and defamation face immediate, swift state prosecution, politicians and party pages are measuring every single word, turning social media feeds into dry, strictly moderated policy announcements.
4. A LOST OPPOSITION
Unknown PartiesThe national race lacks its usual explosive, neck-and-neck presidential drama because there is no single, heavy-hitting opposition candidate generating national momentum against President Hakainde Hichilema. Instead, the opposition is highly fragmented. Many candidates are running under brand-new political parties that ordinary citizens in Ndola have never heard of. As a result, the party brand matters very little this year; it is now entirely about the individual candidate’s personal name and local reputation.5. UPND Adoption Drama and Internal SabotageThe quietness isn’t just an opposition problem—the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) is facing severe internal friction. Heavy dissatisfaction over the party’s recent candidate adoption choices has left a bitter taste in the mouths of grassroots mobilizers across Ndola’s constituencies. In a shocking twist, some of UPND’s most hardcore, long-time supporters are quietly hoping their opposition “rivals” win local seats, purely to teach the ruling party a lesson about ignoring its base.
6. IS IT NOW DOOR TO DOOR AND SOCIAL MEDIA?
Rather than organizing massive, disruptive public rallies, candidates have been forced to pivot to quiet, hyper-localized door-to-door mobilization or heavily sanitized digital campaigns. This shift makes the election nearly invisible in everyday public spaces. Combined with a general sense of fatigue among citizens—especially young voters on the Copperbelt who feel that political transitions have failed to rapidly solve economic hardships—passion has been replaced by a heavy sense of public apathy
Ndola’s 2026 election may lack the volume, the drama, and the merchandise of the past, but don’t be fooled. The battle hasn’t stopped; it has just moved off the streets and into the shadows.