UPND Defectors

HH MISCALCULATED ON PF DEMISE — AND THE INTELLIGENCE OF ZAMBIANS

By David Sichone

President Hakainde Hichilema has made many miscalculations, but none more damaging than underestimating the resilience of the Patriotic Front (PF) and overestimating how easily he could manipulate the Zambian people—just like he misjudged the true cost of fuel.

Day and night, HH climbed political platforms like Moses on the mountain, preaching against PF corruption. He built his image as a moral crusader, determined to make sure Zambians never forgot the sins of the previous regime. But beneath this rhetoric was a darker agenda. His government launched a targeted crackdown on PF founding members, imprisoning them on corruption charges—yet those very same accusations, when leveled at UPND allies, are met with silence. No arrests. No investigations. No court appearances. Nothing but impunity.

At the same time, HH has gone further in consolidating his control of state institutions. He has installed regalia-wearing party loyalists in key national roles: the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Deputy Speaker, top positions in the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), and even within the judiciary. The situation has become so absurd that some judges are drawing government salaries while attending night school—trying to earn qualifications they should have had before taking up the bench.

In a true assault on democracy, HH has banned all forms of political mobilization and public rallies. This crackdown is enforced through one of his tribal lieutenants positioned at the Ministry of Home Affairs. Meanwhile, another loyalist at the Ministry of Justice is aggressively pushing forward the infamous and rejected Bill 10—now rebranded but just as dangerous.

HH once promised to unite Zambia. Instead, he has become the very champion of tribalism he once condemned. His actions have undermined democratic freedoms, weakened national institutions, and betrayed the people who believed in his mes

Hi ma defectors