ZAMBIA’S PROMISES VS. REALITY: GREYFORD MONDE ACCUSES UPND OF SHRINKING FREEDOMS AND FAILING ON THE ECONOMY

ZAMBIA’S PROMISES VS. REALITY: GREYFORD MONDE ACCUSES UPND OF SHRINKING FREEDOMS AND FAILING ON THE ECONOMY

By Brian Matambo – Lusaka, Zambia

Hon. Greyford Monde, former Minister of Livestock and Fisheries and an aspiring presidential candidate under the Patriotic Front, has delivered one of the sharpest critiques yet of President Hakainde Hichilema’s administration, accusing it of betraying democratic norms and failing to ease the economic burden on ordinary Zambians.

Speaking during a live radio interview, Monde argued that the UPND government has “reversed the very freedoms it once thrived on,” pointing to the banning of opposition rallies, tight restrictions on protests, and the arrest of citizens for social media commentary. “When they were in opposition, they enjoyed free media space, they held rallies openly, they criticized every government from Chiluba to Lungu,” Monde said. “Now that they are in power, they are determined to silence anyone who exposes their failures.”

He warned that this suppression of dissent was not a mark of strength but of insecurity. “The root cause of any political party or government in power trying to fight the opposition is failure to deliver,” he said. According to Monde, the clampdown is evidence that the UPND is unable to defend its record in the open political arena.

Beyond political freedoms, Monde attacked the government’s handling of the economy, particularly its fuel policy. He argued that the monthly fuel price reviews introduced under UPND have created damaging uncertainty for businesses and households. “You cannot get stability in business with fluctuating fuel rates,” he said, linking the policy to higher operating costs and weakened investor confidence.

Monde contrasted today’s prices with campaign promises. He said had the UPND delivered reductions to the levels it pledged before the 2021 election, opposition criticism would have little traction. “If they had delivered cheaper fuel, Zambians would not even listen to us in the opposition,” he said. Instead, he contended, the high cost of living has become the defining issue of daily life and the central reason for growing public frustration.

The former minister’s intervention underscores a broader political debate in Zambia: whether the government has balanced its reformist ambitions with the practical expectations of a population weary of inflation and eager for stability. For Monde, the answer is clear. He cast the ruling party as both politically intolerant and economically adrift, warning that the combination is eroding public trust.

“The people gave them power through a democratic process,” Monde said. “But when the time comes to account, they will have to answer: what did you do with that power? Did you deliver, or did you abuse it?”