By Kapya Kaoma
If you know President HH, if you really love him, if you care for his life, then you must tell him one thing, work and live in one secure place. HH’s dangerous naivete may prove very costly to his life! When the Bemba said, Chimbwi afwile amantanganana (a hyna died by splitting itself on the crossroad), they meant it. Amidst the tumbling economy and people’s disappointment of unmet expectations, President HH is risking his life with his daily commute. He may have a mansion and boast of his billions, but he has only one life. He has a family too. Caesar’s last words, “Et tu, Brute?,” (You too, Brutus)” exists in political science for a reason; politics has no permanent friends. I was called names, but whoever thought Sishuwa Sishuwa would join Kapya Kaoma in calling out HH? In politics, your friends today will be your enemies tomorrow. If HH thinks all UPND politicians and Bally worshipers are forever locked in, he must think twice. Politicians and cadres switch sides like sex workers.
To him, everyone in UPND is a friend. Maybe yes. But UPND Presidential hopefuls are countless should HH be harmed today. What does the leaked audio and now the intercepted military communication say about the HH administration? Who doesn’t know that VP Nalumango is the weakest UPND candidate to replace HH should anything happen to him? (God forbid). She would definitely be the President of Zambia; but not the presidential Candidate in 2026 under the UPND ticket. She will be replaced or even be forced out of power should UPND MPs pass a vote of no confidence in her leadership and ask for early elections.
Aside from the fact that HH himself had claimed to had receive daily Intelligence briefings “before” President Lungu did in 2015, and his worshipers saw it as justified then, I found the arrest of Chilufya Tayali for saying “even soldiers are complaining” not only hypocritical but illogical. HH should be thankful to this joker for exposing the state of his military. What Tayali said is true–they are countless soldiers out there mad with President HH. Regardless of what Bally worshipers want to say, the truth is, the economy is hitting everyone badly. Soldiers are not immune to economic shocks simply because they have guns and pledge allegiance to Zambia. They don’t eat guns and bullets, but food. Yes, HH is Commander in Chief, but he does not command what those soldiers put on their family tables. Like every Zambian, soldiers are feeling it; the economy is bad. And since desperate times call for desperate actions, soldiers always read the national mood and act accordingly. We saw it in Zimbabwe, Sudan and other African countries. The fact that Zambia’s previous attempted coups failed should not deceive us into thinking it will never happen again.
As wasteful and immoral as they are, President Hichilema might love the glories of his daily motorcades, but they also increase the chances of being harmed. He must take a leaf from President Kaunda and President Chiuba whose tenures were threatened by military coup at the time of national economic hardships. What saved them is the fact that they were heavily protected; which is not the case with HH. If HH plans to commute daily until 2026, an attempt on his life from deranged military officers or any person is likely. All it would take is to “block-in” the President on the New Kasama road with two heavy trucks [one after the President has passed and another where he is going]. This would block the Presidential motorcade; exposing the President to harm. Reinforcements would demand bigger machineries to remove those trucks. Another problem is that New Kasama being a residential area, the chaotic situation from other motorists and residents would affect military responses. Should the deranged soldiers or individuals have access to the President, the military will have no room to respond. It will be a catch 22.
The President must understand that military coups are generally done by frustrated and drunk junior officers. Senior officials join in after they see the fruits of junior officers. When Mwamba Luchembe attempted the Coup, it was at the time of economic crisis. When Captain Solo attempted the coup, it was at the time of another economic crisis. Since President HH’s movements are now established, anyone can easily get him at any time. This is my big concern. The negative sentiments and disappointment with the failed promises of the HH administration are well known to the military. He might pay his Commanders big salaries, but ordinary soldiers are his biggest threat. These are the ones Tayali is talking about.
His daily commutes mean lapses in the security details as the personnel get familiar with the protocols and relax over time. Moreover, agents become open to manipulation and to study by bad actors. If the President thinks the military or the police would be providing the same high security as they did on day one, he must think twice. It is one thing to provide it once in a while, it is another to do it daily for 5 years. If the CIA has some lapses, what makes him believe his OP is capable of sustaining such protection? The only way to safeguard his life is to be unpredictable. Maybe he should have days when he works from his house, and when he works from the State House. But even then, his staff will be overused; again providing opportunities for wrong actors.
I want to see him removed by the ballot and not the bullet. He is a family man.
That is so yesterday. Why can’t African leaders be so free to live and work? Do you see how casually some European heads of government live and interact with people? Ise it is shielding and hiding our Presidents; and when we do we begin crying for their visibility like we did when ECL was not seen or wasn’t talking to us.
Leave the President do his job; and if you have heard something let the Police know. That is how to safeguard anyone whom we perceive to be at risk.
Do not climb a tree from the leaves. Those European Presidents “live and interact” because they have made big investments in Intelligence, their special branch will have done its homework. As the President moves they are planted all over. Besides who said we must do things because we see Europe doing them? We cant be copycats of everything in Europe.
In Sweden the president tried to be casual and he was killed walking from a cinema hal!. US President J F Kennedy was shot riding in a no roof limo. Another US president Ronald Reagan was shot but survived. Thus in the UK when Boris Johnson moves there is a secret service blanket all around him. The President can only do his job if he is safe. He cannot rely on well wishers to warn him about threats. That is exactly what Chimbwi no plan…
LPM made a similar mistake by trying to be smart. He dropped some vehicles on his motorcade allegedly to reduce the cost. Then came drunken Sergeant Chirwa. Although he survived that accident he was impaired for life.
Okay muli amano sana umu. Take heed bwana president.
In advanced countries they don’t allow green horns to take up positions of head of governmet to people who have never worked in government. USA tried with one Donald Trump and the effect of his hiccups have continued to be felt
This bitter PF cader also…………
He still has not got over the overwhelming electoral defeat of lungu and ……….
The loss of revenue streams of his folk and kin in the clique……..
Let the new GRZ work to fix the country……
Ayatollah @2, Sergeant Chirwa was a hired would-be assassin. He was prosecuted and found with a case to answer. Whn it came to putting his side of the case to the court, he died mysteriously although he had no history of regularly falling ill. Same with Lyndon Mufungwe. He was prosecuted and found woth a case to answer. He never lived to tell the court what he knew when time came for him to defend himself. No doubt u know both of these cases well. But a life of deceit and lies cannot go on in perpetuity. Only a life of honesty and fair dealing endures.
UKWALI NSOKE TAKWAFWILE BANTU. TIMELY AND PRUDENT ADVICE. MR PRESIDENT TAKE HEED AND HIDE. DON’T LISTEN TO PRAISE SINGERS THEY ARE MYOPIC.
#5 Nemwine, I don’t remember Chirwa dying mysteriously. However, it started with LPM making a populist decisions to reduce the number of sweepers on his motorcade. This was very early in the MMD tenure, I think it was December 1991. It compromised his security. Conspiracy theories came in after the accident and key suspect was cleared. Kelly Walubita as MMD security wing chief was lambasted for being behind those conspiracy theories. Not at any time should our leaders be exposed to any danger, no chances must be taken. Zambia isn’t safe enough for a sitting President to take a walk in public like we see elsewhere. Don’t think that the tenderpreneurs are happy that tables have turned against them
Leaders of western dempcracies are not heavily protected because they would be harmed by people as a result of economic hardships, they are protected because these countries have powerful and determined external enemies as well as internal ideological enemies. Zambia does not have powerful external enemies. The Zambian President is protected from being harmed by his own people who are power hungry. They would have no solutions to the economic problems as has been shown countless times in Africa. No military coup ever worked economic miracles in Africa, save perhaps, Ghana’s Jerry Rawlings or Burkinabe Thomas Sankara. The rest went on to wreck their countries even further.
RIGHTLY OR WRONGLY HH IS TRYING TO TAKE US INTO THE MODERN WORLD
UNFORTUNATELY ZAMBIA AND INDEED AFRICA IS NOT READY FOR SUCH
STILL VILLAGE MENTALITY
Icisosa cipa amano.
@Kapya Kaoma, now you have over stepped, you can’t enter CIA in your personal sh!t. Watch your apartment musattanyoko, you be visited. Nobody is happy with your barking.
Ask Field Ruwe what happened to him
Only an irresponsible moron like Kapya Kaoma can have a headline …suddenly the boy Tayali is a hero someone the caged for weeks in jail.
@Nostradamus What happened to my idol Field Ruwe? And mind your language That uncouth language is for the State House Koswe crew.
What should be discussed is why we have a MILITARY at all. We spend a substantial amount of our budget on a military that we will probably never use when those funds can be spent on Education, Health and Infrastructure. We should just have a substantially reduced defence force abjointed to the police to maintain law and order. Alternatively SADEC countries should develop a joint military force that each country contributes to as aprt of a defence alliance.
Remember that 99% of all military actions in African countries have been against their own people. How ironic that citizens pay for the very thing that will likely destroy them and not an invading force
Hh won’t last. You cannot annoy an army and expect loyalty
@Kaz ni psychology che. Because we have an army I feel safe-LOL but noone is likely to attack me. Or because we inherited an army from the coloniser we should continue with it
u5 please heed.
Don’t claim you were not warned.
To be foretold is to be forewarned.
Kikikikikikijukija Hehehehehehe nkunkunkunkyu hahahahahaha kwekwekwekwe kwikwikwikwikwi he reports for work at State House. It’s funny but costly.
@kaz and @Priscilla:
My question to people like you is; HOW OLD ARE YOU? I ask because you both sound immature, juvenile, and terribly miseducated about the military. I am not sure when you were born, but if you are children of the 60s, 70s, 80s, even early 90s, then you should know better than spewing this garbage. You should understand what would have become of Zambia (your country) without the Zambian Army. It is always easy to talk smirk about the Zambian military if you were born in an era where the sound of a machine gun can only be heard in Movies. The military has done such a good job to provide a safe and peaceful environment such that @$$h0les like yourselves have forgotten its value. If you think what is happening to Ukraine can’t or would have not happened to Zambia, you…
@kaz and @Priscilla: continue…
are hugely mistaken. Now you can imagine a Ukraine without a STANDING ARMY already in place. This is real life kids. Don’t take the opportunities and freedoms you are enjoying for granted. People (soldiers and otherwise) died for them. Zambia has NEVER been short of enemies, both domestic and foreign, for her not to maintain an “ARMY”. Do you understand you two L0ONIES! Just because you are not privy to the threats does not mean they don’t exist or real…..UNDERSTAND?!
Yambayamba cool down you sound like a retiree of ZNDF getting worked up over your uselessness. What Kaz is stating is very rational. African armies have attacked their own citizens more than any enemy. Africa has only had two wars between countries. But countless coups in Chad, Nigeria, Ghana Burkina Faso etc. No foreign army involved. The years you are mentioning saw Zambia invaded by Rhodesian Selous Scouts with our army still available. So what rubbish are you posting here?