Patriotic Front presidential aspirant Brian Mundubile has questioned recent international praise awarded to President Hakainde Hichilema, arguing that global accolades fail to reflect the day-to-day realities faced by Zambians grappling with economic pressure ahead of the 2026 general elections.
Mundubile made the remarks in a statement issued this week, responding to foreign recognition that placed President Hichilema among highly rated global leaders. He said such rankings present a partial picture that emphasises external perception while overlooking persistent domestic challenges affecting households and businesses.
“London may crown our President today and glorify him; Lusaka counts the kwacha it no longer has, the food it doesn’t have,” Mundubile said, contending that international approval should not be mistaken for domestic performance.
He said leadership should be judged primarily on whether policies translate into tangible improvements in people’s lives. According to Mundubile, many Zambians continue to face high food prices, delays in payments to farmers, shortages of essential medicines in public health facilities, and prolonged power outages that disrupt livelihoods.
Mundubile said international praise often focuses on macro-economic reforms and fiscal indicators, which may not immediately reflect conditions at household level. He argued that while reform narratives may resonate abroad, voters at home evaluate leadership through access to food, healthcare, energy, and income security.
He cited unpaid farmers as a recurring concern, saying delayed payments undermine agricultural productivity and household incomes, particularly in rural communities where farming is the main source of livelihood. Mundubile said farmers’ cash-flow constraints ripple through local economies, affecting input suppliers, transporters, and small traders.
On healthcare, Mundubile said shortages of medicines in public hospitals and clinics remain a serious issue. He said families are often forced to purchase drugs privately or forego treatment altogether, adding to financial strain. According to him, these challenges contradict narratives of progress that dominate international commentary.
Mundubile also pointed to persistent load-shedding, saying power instability continues to disrupt businesses, schools, and essential services. He said small and medium enterprises bear the brunt of electricity cuts through lost productivity and higher operating costs, which ultimately feed into prices paid by consumers.
He argued that external accolades risk dampening critical domestic debate by projecting an image of success that may not align with lived experience. Mundubile said democratic accountability requires open discussion of shortcomings alongside any acknowledged gains.
The PF aspirant said voters should resist being swayed by international applause and instead focus on measurable outcomes within their communities. He said leadership credibility is built through consistent service delivery rather than recognition from foreign publications or institutions.
Mundubile said opposition parties have a responsibility to interrogate official narratives and present alternative policy choices that address cost-of-living pressures, agricultural sustainability, healthcare delivery, and energy reliability. He said political competition should centre on substance and results.
He added that economic reform should be assessed not only by growth figures but by whether ordinary citizens experience relief. According to Mundubile, progress must be visible in stable food prices, timely payments to producers, stocked hospitals, and reliable electricity.
Mundubile said his engagement with voters would continue to emphasise accountability grounded in local realities. He said Zambians should decide the country’s direction based on whether leadership has delivered practical improvements that can be felt in homes, markets, farms, and workplaces.
He said international recognition may elevate Zambia’s profile abroad, but insisted that the decisive test of leadership remains unresolved issues at home, including farmer arrears, drug availability in public hospitals, and the reliability of electricity supply.
If one day you also become President, you will bask in the same foreign praise you are denouncing today. It is a sign of political immaturity when a person cannot see that something he may not be happy with because of envy, may be useful to him in future. Political mature person would congratulate his counterpart and then urge him to do even better for Zambia.
Political immaturity appears to start with you who wants others to praise something they view nothing to praise about. Has the telegraph ever set foot in missing? Can’t you see the complete disaster in economic management and governance surely?
Ba Mundubile. Insoni ebuntu!
Insoni should surround community house now. Not mundubile
Do those foreign masters know the meaning of 21 hours of load shedding and that we were told that in Dubai without rainfall, there is power through out. Do they even know what a Pamela mealie meal is? Do those foreign masters know that we lived relatively better and affordable lives under the previous governments.
I’m confused…………
Can some one explain to me………….
Zambians are complaining about hardships……….
But why do foreigners think Zambia is heaven and a fighting to relocate
there ???……..
Broke foreigners suddenly in under 5 years live very comfortably…….???
I know a Bangladeshi man and a Chinese who both came as contractor workers , now both of them are living the dream in comfort , the Chinese man even married a Zambian girl and has a very busy chicken and pig farm
Am I missing something ???
FWD2041
Mundubile, it is very sad, despicable that a person you see in yourself and the level of public office you seek start uttering fake assumption analysis. What planet are you living on. Do you think president HH is masking anything. The current administration has acknowledged the problems in Zambia which started in 1968 before I was even born. Now we have a leader with real transparency for long solutions. In PF, part of the loan money went directly in zpF cadres and ministers, not forgetting families/friends. Very poor accountability with all the contracts. Huge government funds were mismanaged. Even good things comes to an end, how about all those evil things during PF reign. HH does not seek validation, he’s a God fearing man who’s concerned about children around the all country.
Mundubile, we have receipts about PF because we don’t have a short memory. By end of next year, it will be completely shame on you.
Me I’m confused………
Can some one explain to me why broke foreigners come to Zambia and after 5 years are living very comfortably ???……….
I personally know a few who think Zambia is the best thing to happen to them……..
FWD2041
@Spaka
Am equally confused too…and they keep saying we’re a poor country…but how do they come to a poor country with less than US$300 in their pockets but within 2 years they become filthy rich…….Trump once said all his friends go to Africa to become rich…..
My personal opinion, they come with a strategic time plan before taking advantage of things we know continue to happen like corruption. Also the locals feeling inferior to just someone of foreign origin even when they’re poorly educated. Zambians still treasure whites/light skin as masters or saviors. I have lived in foreign countries for 30 yrs. Guess what, Zambians are intelligent people but still scared to believe in themselves. Just so many factors and that’s just my opinion.
@Nkana pa Kitwe
They only come because they know corruption rules Africa…….and now they’ve started buying land…Sadanis…Galun…trade kings are some of the examples
It’s like an alcoholic being praised for frequently buying beer while their household is in economic ruin. President HH comes across as a president with no vision, no economic framework and no economic development roadmap. How then does he become the best performing president?
Ba mundubile, please your unrealistic jealous will not take you anywhere. Well meaning zambians actually appreciating what HH is doing especially where the economic recovery is concerned. But the buffoons are even wondering where the money for free education and increased cdf, is coming from. They are wondering where the money is coming from for paying the great number of civil servants already employed. And some buffoons have even advocated to sue HH so that he can explain the source of the money he is using to make things happen. The buffoons during their time just valued sharing, stealing, plundering national resources. They even removed even the small student meal allowances. They had no financial discipline but with HH, financial discipline is cardinal
With that , you have told them…..
FWD2041
When you have a show of puppets by the strings you praise them for the crowd to stay and watch