A Call to Heal: National Prayer Day Must Mend Zambia’s Divisions
By Mutinta Hamansenya
Every year on October 18, Zambia pauses to pray, fast, and reflect. The flags fly at half-mast, hymns echo from churches, and leaders across the political divide stand before the nation asking God for guidance. But this year, the National Day of Prayer, Fasting, and Reconciliation must be more than ceremony. It must become a national cleansing, a moment to end hostility, heal political wounds, and return the country to the path of unity and constitutional order. This prayer is essential for our national healing.
Zambia’s peace has endured for decades. Through transfers of power and economic storms, the nation has avoided collapse because its people choose dialogue over destruction. Yet peace is fragile. It must be renewed by justice, humility, and truth. This year’s day of prayer arrives as the nation wrestles with mistrust between government and opposition, between the state and its citizens, and within the opposition itself, making our collective prayer even more vital.
For the ruling UPND, this is the moment to show grace. The prolonged dispute over the burial of former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the tension surrounding the judiciary, and the perception of selective justice have eroded confidence. President Hakainde Hichilema has an opportunity to use this sacred day to reset. True leadership is shown not in asserting power but in yielding it when conscience calls. Releasing institutions the judiciary, the police, and the electoral commission to act independently would restore trust faster than any speech. Embracing this call to prayer can be a step towards that trust.
The government should also ensure that the ongoing issues within the Patriotic Front are handled constitutionally and at arm’s length. The case involving Mr Chabinga, who claims PF leadership amid internal contestation, must not be perceived as a state-facilitated process. Government must be guided strictly by the Registrar of Societies Act and the party’s own constitution, avoiding interference that could deepen suspicion. Let procedure, not politics, decide.
At the same time, the opposition must accept responsibility for its role in national unity. The PF cannot rebuild through bitterness or endless court petitions. It must reconcile within itself, rebuild structures through lawful means, and engage government with respect and reason. The nation gains nothing when opposition leaders trade insults or recycle allegations that divide citizens including reckless claims about freemasonry, tribalism, or personal faith. Zambia’s democracy matures when debate replaces defamation.
The economy remains the wound that touches every home. The rising cost of mealie meal, the volatile dollar, and the unrelenting fuel prices have strained families. Many citizens feel betrayed by unfulfilled promises of a better life. The government should use this Day of Prayer to acknowledge those realities honestly. Admitting shortfalls is not weakness; it is courage. Transparency about the economic plan what has failed and what can still work would rekindle public faith.
Still, progress must not be forgotten. The expansion of social-cash transfers, the CDF-funded classrooms, the rural clinics, and the renewed ties with international creditors all show forward motion. Zambia’s challenge is not the absence of progress; it is the absence of collective credit. When leaders fail to recognise one another’s contributions, unity fades.
Today must therefore mark the start of a national truce. The Day of Prayer should bring together not just churches but all political leaders to stand side by side and pledge civility. Let the government soften its tone. Let the opposition speak truth without contempt. Let the church rise above partisanship. Let journalists report without fear. Let every Zambian remember that no political victory is worth the loss of national peace.
As Parliament reconsiders Bill 7 of 2025 and other constitutional reform proposals, wisdom must prevail. The process should not be hurried or clouded by electoral anxiety. With general elections only eight months away, pursuing such sensitive amendments now risks deepening mistrust and politicising what should be a national consensus exercise. The government would do well to defer this process until after the polls when emotions have cooled and dialogue can take place freely and inclusively. Reform must be born of reflection, not reaction. True democracy thrives when leaders listen first and legislate later.
This Day of Prayer should also silence the culture of name-calling. Words like enemy, tribalist, corrupt, and Freemason have poisoned public discourse. They have pitted believers against believers, families against families. Zambia’s founders built the nation on tolerance that spirit must return.
Every leader should be reminded that authority is temporary, but legacy is eternal. Hichilema’s government can choose humility over hostility. The PF can choose rebuilding over resentment. The clergy can choose truth over comfort. And citizens can choose forgiveness over fury
As the nation bows its head today, the true prayer item is not for more rain or riches. It is for renewal that the government may loosen its grip on the institutions of justice, that the opposition may end its self-inflicted divisions, and that together they may set a new moral tone before the 2026 polls.
Zambia has always been a land of peace. Let this day ensure it remains so. Let our leaders remember that the loudest prayer is the one lived, not spoken.
