Tribalism cannot defeat economic progress, which is why Zambians must protect the UPND development trajectory.

By Hon. Ponde C. Mecha
Former Member of Parliament – Chifunabuli Constituency

Since ascending to the presidency, Hakainde Hichilema has continued to carry a label that has little to do with reality: that of being a “tribalist.” This label has been recycled so often by his critics that it has almost become a lazy substitute for policy debate. Yet when one examines the conduct, decisions and development footprint of the UPND government, that accusation collapses under the weight of facts.

The most visible expression of this reality is the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). For the first time in Zambia’s history, development resources are being distributed to all constituencies using a uniform, non-discriminatory formula. No tribe, no region, no political affiliation is being favoured. Whether one lives in Southern, Northern, Eastern, Western or Luapula Province, the CDF envelope is the same. Schools, clinics, roads, youth and women empowerment projects are springing up across the country without reference to tribe or political colour.

President Hichilema himself has reinforced this message through action, not rhetoric. He has traversed all corners of Zambia, attending traditional ceremonies, engaging chiefs, meeting farmers, fishermen, miners and traders alike. His Cabinet is visibly balanced in terms of regional and tribal representation. These are not the actions of a tribalist; they are the marks of a unifier deliberately stitching together a fractured nation.

Sadly, the opposition has failed to respond to these realities with ideas. Their manifestos have been archived and are shy to share their practical ideas on economic recovery, energy security, debt restructuring, industrialisation or job creation. They have not only effectively abandoned policy but have replaced it with a weaponised tribal narrative. Unable to provide meaningful checks and balances, they would rather pull the country back into the governance confusion that has rocked their own alliances.

Luapula Province provides a practical illustration of why this narrative will not succeed.

For decades, Luapula was described as remote, marginal and economically unviable. Under President Hichilema, that thinking has been overturned. The installation of the Mabumba 50MW Solar Power Plant is not just an energy project; it is a strategic signal that Luapula is now central to Zambia’s localisation of industrialisation. Energy is the prerequisite for processing fish, cassava, timber, honey and other natural endowments that have long been exported in raw form. By securing power, government is laying the foundation for factories, cold rooms, agro-processing hubs and SME growth right in the heart of Luapula.

This is economic inclusion in practice.

It is therefore inconceivable that the people of Luapula, and indeed Zambians everywhere, can be persuaded to abandon such a trajectory in favour of cheap tribal slogans. CDF-financed classrooms, solar plants, rural health posts, roads, markets and youth enterprises do not speak the language of tribe. They speak the language of opportunity.

The opposition has chosen to turn a blind eye to this progress because it cannot compete with it. Having failed to organise themselves, they now seek to drag the country into the same paralysis they are experiencing internally. But Zambians are wiser. They know that national development cannot be reversed every five years because of wounded egos and empty alliances.

The real contest in 2026 is therefore not between tribes. It is between continuity and regression, between systems and slogans, between economic recovery and political mischief.

Zambia has entered a phase where reforms are beginning to bear fruit. Debt restructuring, fiscal discipline, expanded CDF, investment in energy, agriculture and decentralisation are all parts of a single recovery architecture. To abandon this path now would be to repeat the historical mistake of uprooting reform just when it starts to work.

Tribalism cannot defeat economic progress. Only Zambians themselves can, if they choose to believe those who have nothing to offer beyond division.

And I am confident they will not.