The Questions Edgar Lungu Must Answer Before He Can get a Second Chance*

*The Questions Edgar Lungu Must Answer Before He Can get a Second Chance*

By Magret Mwanza

Our political landscape is heating up with the buzz of former President Edgar Lungu wanting to reclaim power. However, before he finds himself anywhere near the ballot paper, there are critical questions that the Zambian people deserve answers to. Lungu must explain how, under his watch, Zambia’s economy sank while his family thrived beyond the wildest dreams of most ordinary citizens. The glaring disparities between his family’s sudden wealth and the destitution that gripped many Zambians raise serious questions that can not be ignored.

*Lungu’s Generous Gifting to His Family – A National Betrayal?*

It’s no secret that Edgar Lungu’s son, Dalitso, became a figure of immense privilege during his father’s presidency. With reports indicating that he was gifted almost 100 cars and filling stations worth millions of kwacha, one can’t help but wonder: Where did this wealth come from? At a time when Zambia’s economy was crumbling, how was it possible for a sitting president’s family to amass such immense riches?

Lungu must answer to the Zambian people. What did the public receive during his reign, other than skyrocketing poverty, unprecedented debt, and unemployment? While his family was riding high on a wave of luxury, millions of Zambians, especially on the Copperbelt, were trapped in economic despair. Over 700,000 pupils on the Copperbelt could not attend school. Contractors were left unpaid, suppliers bankrupted, and thousands of Zambians who had borrowed from banks to run their small businesses were crippled by debts, losing their homes and livelihoods.

*Where were you, Edgar Lungu, while the people who entrusted you with power were suffering?* While mines closed down and workers were thrown onto the streets, you were busy gifting your son cars and properties worth millions of kwacha.

*A Family of Privilege Amidst a Nation in Poverty*

What was equally troubling was the display of wealth by Lungu’s wife, Esther, who was reportedly building luxurious apartments while distributing $400,000 to cousins for safe keeping as if Zambia’s national treasury was her personal piggy bank. *How can Lungu justify these transactions when Zambians could barely afford to put food on the table?* If Lungu wants to present himself as a leader again, he must account for the millions stashed away by his family while the nation’s economy was on the brink of collapse.

These are not mere allegations; these are questions that resonate deeply with the Zambian people. Under his watch, the gap between the haves and the have-nots widened exponentially, and it seems that Lungu’s family was firmly positioned on the side of the wealthy elite.

*The Copperbelt Debacle: A Reflection of Lungu’s Economic Mismanagement*

The heart of Zambia’s economic engine, the Copperbelt, was brought to its knees under Lungu’s leadership. Hundreds of contractors and suppliers went unpaid, their businesses shuttered, and livelihoods destroyed. Mines closed down, casting thousands of workers into unemployment, while Lungu’s family amassed wealth. How is it possible that, in a failing economy, Lungu’s inner circle seemed to thrive?

How did Lungu manage to acquire vast properties, farms, and businesses, gifting his daughter an 8-million-kwacha farm, while ordinary citizens lost their homes and were forced to fend off creditors? *Lungu’s insatiable greed and family-first mentality is a slap in the face to every Zambian who struggled to survive during his presidency.* His family’s unprecedented access to wealth only highlights the entrenched corruption and cronyism that characterized his tenure.

Zambians need to know: *What kind of business empire did you run during your presidency, Mr. Lungu?* What sources of wealth allowed you to lavish your family with multi-million-kwacha gifts while Zambia’s economy was bleeding? *And if these riches were accumulated legitimately, why was the public left in the dark about the nature of these business dealings?*

*The People Deserve Accountability, Not Empty Promises*

Lungu, if you have any intentions of leading this country again, Zambians demand transparency. *The magnitude of your family’s wealth acquisition must be explained in full.* How did you, a leader responsible for the well-being of over 18 million citizens, allow such glaring inequality to flourish under your nose? Zambians do not want to hear the same excuses or half-baked explanations. The people you failed as president are still reeling from the impact of your corrupt leadership.

What the Zambian public demands is simple: accountability. *You can not seek to lead again without answering for the betrayal you INFLECTED upon the people of this great nation. It is time to face the truth: your legacy is one of wealth accumulation for a select few, while the majority of Zambians were left to bear the brunt of your reckless governance.

*What Did You Gift the Zambian People?*

You gifted your son 100 cars, your wife $400,000, and your daughter an 8-million-kwacha farm. But what did you gift the Zambian people? Was it not enough that the country’s resources were plundered, the economy ravaged, and public trust eroded? While your family sat on piles of money, Zambia was left with nothing but the ashes of a collapsing economy.

Lungu, it is not enough to think about reclaiming power; you need to face the Zambian people and provide the answers they deserve. Every car, every filling station, and every kwacha gifted to your family should be accounted for. Zambians want to know how their former leader, entrusted with national stewardship, could allow such blatant exploitation to occur.

In a country still struggling to recover from your disastrous leadership, the thought of your return to power is a chilling prospect. Before you even think about a political comeback, you must first answer