PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema is expected today to assent to five Bills at State House in Lusaka, a move that will place free education and major pension reforms into law and affect workers, retirees and learners across the country.
The signing ceremony, scheduled to coincide with the President’s 64th birthday, will cover the Education (Amendment) Bill 2026, National Pension Scheme Bill 2026, Public Service Pensions Bill 2026, Pension Scheme Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2026 and the Local Authorities Superannuation Bill 2026. All five Bills were passed during the immediate past sitting of Parliament.
State House Chief Communications Specialist Clayson Hamasaka said the legislation would secure key gains made in education and worker welfare while extending benefits to future generations.
“From the classroom to the workplace to a secure retirement, this is delivery that touches the life of every Zambian,” Mr Hamasaka said.
Among the measures contained in the pension reforms is an increase in the minimum monthly pension from K1,861 to K2,327. More than 17,000 pensioners are expected to benefit from the adjustment once the reforms take effect.
The reforms will also allow about 30,000 retirees to access advance lump-sum payments, with some beneficiaries expected to receive up to K17,500. Government officials say the payments are intended to provide additional financial flexibility for retirees and their families.
A further 1.2 million members of the National Pension Scheme Authority are expected to benefit from an increase in the income replacement ratio from 40 percent to 45 percent of pensionable earnings.
The reforms also provide for an increase in funeral grants from K18,618 to K23,272, a measure aimed at easing funeral-related expenses faced by families.
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mulambo Haimbe said the reforms recognise the contribution made by workers who have spent decades serving the country.
“Behind every one of those numbers is a person,” Mr Haimbe wrote in a column published ahead of the expected signing ceremony.
He said the reforms would benefit teachers, nurses, council workers and many others who had dedicated their working lives to public service and national development.
The Education (Amendment) Bill 2026 seeks to place the Government’s free education policy into law. The programme was introduced administratively in January 2022 and has since become one of the administration’s flagship social policies.
Mr Hamasaka said about 2.6 million children had returned to school following the introduction of free education.
He said the legislation would provide long-term protection for the programme and require any future changes to pass through Parliament.
Mr Haimbe said the school feeding programme, which currently serves about 4.7 million learners, complements free education by helping improve school attendance and learner welfare.
The signing of the Bills comes less than ten weeks before the August 13 general election, where education and social protection policies are expected to feature prominently in campaign discussions.
Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Finance Jito Kayumba said Zambia had recorded progress in agriculture, debt restructuring and macroeconomic management, and urged citizens to safeguard those gains.
“We have the biggest harvest in the history of our country this year, close to five million tonnes of maize. We did it on food, we did it on the dollar, we did it on the debt. We can’t go back,” Mr Kayumba said.
Leadership Movement presidential candidate Dr Richard Silumbe offered a different interpretation of the free education programme.
Dr Silumbe said free education had existed under previous administrations in different forms, arguing that successive governments had maintained or expanded access over the years.
He said his administration would seek to extend free education to tertiary level if elected.The five Bills expected to be signed today cover education, pensions and retirement benefits, affecting citizens from school-going age through to retirement.
The Lusaka Times News Team joins many Zambians in wishing President Hakainde Hichilema a happy 64th birthday and good health .
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