Hichilema Pledges To Serve All Zambians, Warns Against Armed Militias In Victory Address

President Hakainde Hichilema used his first address to the nation since being declared winner of the presidential election to pledge to serve all Zambians equally, thank the more than 80,000 people who worked to deliver the vote, and issue a pointed warning against what he called…

President Hakainde Hichilema used his first address to the nation since being declared winner of the presidential election to pledge to serve all Zambians equally, thank the more than 80,000 people who worked to deliver the vote, and issue a pointed warning against what he called “bands of armed militias” operating in the country.

Speaking with what he described as profound humility and gratitude, Hichilema said the mandate given to him represented a decision by millions of Zambians who had once again chosen to settle their political differences peacefully. “We had citizens, I think numbering over 80,000 in total, or thereabouts, working to deliver this election,” he said, thanking both the officials involved and the wider public for what he called a demonstration of democratic maturity.

The president was emphatic that his government would not distinguish between those who voted for him and those who did not. “Those who voted for us, those who didn’t, you’re equal citizens,” he said. “There’s no discriminatory understanding of who voted and their favour. Those who didn’t vote for us, they are not favoured.” He extended that message directly to supporters of rival candidates, saying anyone who backed a different contender “is not your enemy,” but rather “your brother, they are your sister, your uncle, auntie, they are your neighbour.”

Hichilema devoted a substantial part of his address to what he described as concrete gains delivered over his first term. He said the number of pupils per teacher had fallen steadily as government recruitment continued, and that close to 2.6 million children, including teenage mothers who had previously dropped out, had returned to school under free education. “Education is the best investment,” he said. “It’s the best equaliser.”

On the economy, the president pointed to debt restructuring as a signature achievement, saying it had freed up close to $1.9 billion a year previously lost to debt servicing. He said that money was now being redirected toward government programmes. He also cited what he called Zambia’s first-ever harvest of 5 million metric tons of maize, and said the Food Reserve Agency was now paying farmers for their crop within two to three days of delivery, a turnaround he said had never happened before.

The president struck a firmer tone when he turned to questions of law and order, delivering some of his most direct remarks of the address. “We should not allow our country to degenerate into bands of armed militias,” he said. “At that point, that’s crossing the line. Because once you start doing those things, you are injuring others. You are endangering the lives of others.” He said any pursuit of public office through what he termed “malicious” means, rather than genuine service, was “alien to us” and should be rejected outright by citizens.

He also appealed directly to supporters on both sides of the contest to avoid celebrations that could spill into confrontation. “Let us be responsible at all times,” he said, urging Zambians not to provoke those celebrating the result and warning against any action that could injure people or damage property. “There is no winner here. There’s no loser. We are all winners. Zambia is the winner,” he said.

Hichilema also addressed public sector workers directly, telling health workers in particular that patients deserved full attention rather than distraction. “Let’s agree that you will not go to a ward and start playing with your phone when the patient is screaming in pain,” he said, describing the exchange as one he recalled from a campaign stop. He called for a broader shift in national work culture, arguing that productivity, not just agriculture, would drive the country’s development, and urged citizens toward what he called hard work over what he described as laziness.

The president closed his address with an appeal for national unity and a prayer for the country, invoking Zambia’s founding motto. “There’s only one Zambia. One country. One destiny,” he said. “One Zambia, one nation, one people. That’s what we are.” He said his government would continue to treat every Zambian’s wellbeing as its responsibility regardless of how they voted, and pledged that his household would remain accountable to what he called the country’s 21 million citizens.

The address, delivered as the country continues to work through a disputed election period, made no direct reference to the ongoing legal and security disputes raised by opposition candidate Brian Mundubile, focusing instead on reconciliation, service delivery and calls for calm.