Economic Front president Wynter Kabimba says President Hakainde Hichilema missed a critical opportunity to confront Zambia’s deteriorating local government system during his meeting with more than 1,800 councillors in Lusaka, a gathering Kabimba says should have produced direction on restoring service delivery in towns and cities.
The meeting brought councillors from across the country to Lusaka for an engagement with the President on governance and development matters. Kabimba says the moment carried national importance because it placed the country’s entire local government leadership before the Head of State.
In a statement, Kabimba said the engagement passed without addressing the deeper institutional weaknesses affecting councils.
“The local government has been reduced to a forum of land grabs and party politics, largely driven by whichever political party is in power at any given time,” Kabimba said.
Kabimba said many observers expected the gathering to produce a clear policy direction capable of reversing the decline in local governance structures.
Instead, he said, the engagement avoided confronting the challenges that continue to affect municipalities across the country.
Kabimba pointed to deteriorating sanitation systems, poor infrastructure and weak administrative capacity as visible signs of structural problems within local authorities.
“Anyone interested in the state of our towns and cities will grieve about their degeneration in service delivery and the appalling conditions in which the majority of our people live,” Kabimba said.
Kabimba traced the roots of the crisis to policy shifts that followed Zambia’s return to multi-party politics in the early 1990s. He said changes introduced during that period gradually weakened the operational authority of councils.
He said the situation calls for structural reforms capable of restoring institutional strength within local government.
Kabimba also questioned the growing reliance on the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) as the central mechanism for addressing local development challenges.
The CDF has expanded in recent years and now finances a range of projects across constituencies. Kabimba said the programme remains important but cannot repair the institutional weaknesses affecting councils.
He said restoring effective local governance requires strengthening administrative systems and reinforcing accountability in the management of public resources.
Kabimba also expressed concern over the tone of discussions during the meeting between councillors and the President.
According to him, several contributions focused on personal benefits sought by councillors instead of governance reforms affecting citizens.
Kabimba said councillors raised demands that included monthly salaries, gratuity payments at the end of their terms and motor vehicles to support their work.
He said the strong applause that followed those demands illustrated unity among councillors around personal concerns.
Kabimba said the moment reflected a growing gap between political leadership and the communities they represent.
He recalled a similar situation in 2021 when traditional leaders met then president Edgar Lungu at State House and raised requests related to financial benefits and allowances.
Kabimba said the pattern shows governance challenges that require serious national reflection.
According to him, leadership must remain focused on improving the lives of citizens rather than expanding privileges attached to public office.
Kabimba said failure to address the structural weaknesses affecting councils risks weakening public confidence in local government.
He said Zambia requires reforms capable of restoring councils as engines of development within communities.
Without such reforms, Kabimba said councils will remain unable to deliver reliable services or respond effectively to the needs of citizens across the country.
Kabimba said restoring the strength of local government remains central to improving sanitation systems, infrastructure and basic services in many towns.
He warned that without structural reform the pressures affecting councils will continue to deepen as urban populations expand.