“UKUYA KWENA ALEYA”, BUT THEN WHAT?

“UKUYA KWENA ALEYA”, BUT THEN WHAT? “Ukuya kwena aleya.” We hear it almost every day. “Going, he is going.” Referring to President Hakainde Hichilema. Fine, but then what? A slogan is not an economic programme. Anger is not a development plan and removing one leader does not automatically solve the problems of a nation. The […]

“UKUYA KWENA ALEYA”, BUT THEN WHAT?

“Ukuya kwena aleya.” We hear it almost every day. “Going, he is going.” Referring to President Hakainde Hichilema.

Fine, but then what? A slogan is not an economic programme. Anger is not a development plan and removing one leader does not automatically solve the problems of a nation.

The cost of living is real. The pain in many households is real. These realities did not start in 2021. Government must continue working until economic recovery is increasingly felt on every household table. However, the hardship of today must never erase the record of yesterday.

The people asking Zambians to return them to power are not strangers. We know them. We know their record and the powerful ministerial positions they held. Under their watch our country borrowed recklessly. Zambia defaulted on its external debt, inflation was above 20%, the economy had contracted, fiscal space was severely constrained, public sector recruitment had been restricted and many projects had stalled. They enacted the Cybersecurity Act. Freedom of speech completely disappeared. Violence became a new national culture.

This was only five years ago and something particularly puzzles me about some of the conversations coming from our densely populated urban areas. Have our urban hustlers forgotten the markets and bus stations?

Many were simply trying to make ends meet, ie, selling vegetables, driving taxis and minibuses, running small stalls and feeding their families, but political cadres had taken control of important economic spaces in markets and bus stations. Ordinary citizens frequently had to navigate political structures and intimidation simply to earn a living.

Today, a trader should be free to trade without belonging to the ruling party. A bus driver should be able to earn a living without surrendering his economic space to political cadres. Peace matters. Freedom matters. Dignity matters. Peace can disappear in a split second.

To be precise, this “Ukuya kwena aleya” phenomenon is particularly visible in some sections of densely populated urban areas. It does not represent the whole country. Across much of rural Zambia, I encounter something quite different.

Our rural communities are producers. They cultivate the land. They rear animals. They understand seasons, inputs, markets and the relationship between work and production. They are seeing tangible changes around them, ie, schools, health facilities, roads, CDF projects, agricultural support and children accessing education.

They know there is still much more to be done, but many also appreciate that the country is moving in a direction worth building upon. Therein lies an even bigger lesson for Zambia. THE FUTURE OF THIS COUNTRY LIES IN PRODUCTION.

We cannot consume our way into prosperity. We cannot import our way into prosperity. We cannot borrow our way into prosperity. Government cannot indefinitely subsidise everybody into prosperity.

We must go back to the land, and not backwards, but forward into modern production. The UPND Government will owe the rural communities a lot during the 2026 to 2031 second tenure.

Agriculture must become business. We must produce maize, wheat, soybeans, livestock, fruits and vegetables at scale. We must irrigate. We must mechanise. We must process what we produce. We must add value. We must manufacture. We must export.

The urban hustler must also become a producer, entrepreneur, processor, manufacturer and exporter. There is no shortcut.

If we do not expand production, we will keep going around in circles, changing governments, changing slogans and changing politicians while confronting the same fundamental economic problem. So when someone says “Ukuya kwena aleya,” ask, “BUT THEN WHAT?”

If someone says, “We shall buy maize at K500,” ask, “Where will the money come from?” If someone says, “We shall reduce prices,” ask, “How?” If someone promises bigger allowances, bigger subsidies and more Government spending, ask, “How will you finance all of it without returning Zambia to excessive borrowing, inflation and debt distress?”

A PROMISE WITHOUT ARITHMETIC IS NOT YET A POLICY. Meanwhile, children are accessing free education. CDF has expanded enormously. Teachers and health workers have been recruited. Social protection has expanded. Debt has been restructured. National reserves have been rebuilt. The economy has returned to growth.

Does that mean every household is comfortable? No. There is still enormous work ahead. Judge President Hakainde Hichilema on his record. Demand answers from his Government, but apply exactly the same standard to everyone asking to replace him.

DON’T COMPARE TODAY WITH PERFECTION. COMPARE RECORDS WITH RECORDS. In this age of TikTok politics, AI generated content, edited videos and fabricated claims, ask, WHO SAID IT? WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE? WHAT DO THE NUMBERS SAY? DOES THE ARITHMETIC WORK?

“Ukuya kwena aleya.” Fine, but then what? Where is the alternative programme? Where is the production plan? Where is the arithmetic? Zambia cannot eat slogans. WE MUST PRODUCE.

Remember yesterday. Examine today. Interrogate tomorrow.

MEMORY MATTERS. EVIDENCE MATTERS. PRODUCTION MATTERS. ARITHMETIC MATTERS. PEACE MATTERS. LEADERSHIP MATTERS.

Zambia Forward, TOGETHER in UNITY. 🇿🇲

Saviour Chishimba
President
United Progressive People (UPP)
UPND Alliance Partner