Focus on Performance, Not the Past, Lifuka Urges Hichilema

Focus on Performance, Not the Past, Lifuka Urges Hichilema

LUSAKA – Governance advocate Reuben Lifuka is urging President Hakainde Hichilema to shift the national conversation away from inherited challenges and toward what his administration is delivering today. With public trust increasingly tied to real-world results, Lifuka argues that the time for explaining the past is over the focus now must be on performance.

In a recent interview, Lifuka acknowledged the weight of the economic and institutional burdens the current government inherited. But he warned that repeatedly citing those difficulties may be doing more harm than good. “People understand the starting point was tough,” he said. “What they’re watching now is whether promises are turning into progressespecially in their daily lives.”

He pointed out that while macroeconomic reforms and debt restructuring have stabilized parts of the system, many Zambians aren’t feeling the difference at the market, clinic, or bus stop. “For someone in Monze or Kasama, success isn’t measured in World Bank reports it’s in whether bread is affordable, buses run on time, and medicine is in stock,” he explained.

Lifuka also noted that the government set a high bar early on with bold commitments to transparency, accountability, and efficient use of resources. Closing the gap between that vision and everyday realities has become urgent. One way forward, he suggested, is through clear, public targets: “Give citizens a roadmap what will be fixed in health, education, or energy in the next six or twelve months? Then report back openly on what’s been done.”

He stressed that strong, independent institutions are key to turning promises into reality. Bodies like the Audit General’s office, the Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Public Procurement Authority must be fully resourced and free from interference. “Accountability isn’t just a slogan it’s built through systems that work, even when no one’s watching,” Lifuka said.

Another concern he raised is the growing sense among communities that their voices aren’t reaching decision-makers. “National unity can’t just be a speech it has to be lived through responsive local governance,” he said, calling for genuine decentralization and more inclusive planning processes.

On the political front, Lifuka encouraged the President to welcome criticism instead of treating it as opposition. “Healthy democracies grow through dialogue, not defensiveness,” he said. “Engaging with different perspectives doesn’t weaken leadership it strengthens legitimacy.”

His bottom line? Zambians are ready to see action, not just analysis. “The patience that came with hope is wearing thin,” Lifuka cautioned. “Legacy won’t be written in press briefings about past struggles, but in schools built, jobs created, and services delivered. If the President wants to secure public confidence and national cohesion, the path forward is clear: perform.”