What Legacy Will the UPND Leave Behind? A Trail of Constitutional Wreckage and Political Vengeance
By Thandiwe Ketis Ngoma
As the United Party for National Development (UPND) government crawls into the final stretch of its term, Zambians are forced to confront a sobering question: What, if anything, will President Hakainde Hichilema and his administration be remembered for?
The answer, sadly, is already taking shape. And it is not a legacy of progress, patriotism, or national upliftment. It is a legacy of betrayal, broken promises, constitutional desecration, and state-sponsored vengeance.
This is a government that came into power on a wave of public hope. Zambians voted with trust. They believed the UPND would rescue the country from mismanagement and usher in a new era of justice, accountability, and opportunity. But what did we get?
A regime more obsessed with silencing critics than serving citizens. A government hell-bent on punishing the opposition rather than uplifting the people. A presidency that preaches democracy while practicing dictatorship.
From the outset, the UPND wrapped itself in the cloak of reform. But behind that mask lies a disturbing reality: weakened institutions, politicized justice, and a Constitution treated like a disposable inconvenience.
Let us take a moment to reflect on real legacies.
UNIP, under Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, delivered Zambia’s independence and spearheaded the Zambianisation policy, empowering citizens in both public service and private enterprise. That legacy, despite the flaws of a one-party state, is etched into the foundations of our nation.
The MMD, led by Frederick Chiluba, ushered in multiparty democracy, giving birth to new freedoms, political diversity, and a more open economy. That shift changed Zambia forever.
The PF, under Michael Sata and later Edgar Lungu, prioritized infrastructure development. Roads, bridges, schools, and hospitals transformed towns and improved rural connectivity. The impact was visible and undeniable.
Now ask yourself: What about the UPND?
What tangible, lasting contribution can they point to?
What will they proudly hand over to the next generation?
The truth is damning.
Constitutional vandalism: This administration has torn through the Constitution with arrogance. Legal processes are bypassed, due process discarded, and institutions that should check power have been co-opted and corrupted.
Institutionalized vengeance: Opposition leaders are treated like enemies of the state rather than political rivals. Arrests, intimidation, and harassment have become the norm. The Speaker of the National Assembly has abandoned neutrality and become an enforcer of political vendettas.
Weaponized anti-corruption: The so-called fight against corruption has become a selective purge. Those aligned with the UPND are protected. Those who speak out are persecuted. The law is no longer blind—it now wears the colours of political allegiance.
Economic betrayal: While ordinary citizens struggle with skyrocketing prices, massive youth unemployment, abnormal hours of load-shedding, and a rapidly depreciating currency, the President is busy praising his administration for doing “a lot.” But the question is: for whom? For the struggling mother in Chawama? For the unemployed graduate in Mongu? For the farmer in Chipata without fertilizer? Instead of tangible relief, what Zambians get are endless international trips, PR stunts, and speeches full of promises, yet devoid of results. The economy is bleeding, and this government offers only rhetoric.
Democratic suppression: Civil society has been gagged. The media is under siege. Parliament is no longer a platform for genuine debate but a staging ground for political extermination. Dissent is criminalized, dialogue is dead, and fear rules the day.
This government has become a tool of fear and division. It governs not through service but through intimidation. It speaks of unity but thrives on polarization. It uses power not to uplift the people but to crush those who dare challenge it.
So, once again, what legacy will the UPND leave?
A legacy of disgrace. A legacy of democratic decay. A legacy of using state power to settle political scores. A legacy of constitutional contempt and national betrayal.
No roads. No reforms. No revival. Just wreckage.
Zambians deserve better. We did not vote for vengeance. We voted for vision. But what we got was a regime drunk on power, blinded by arrogance, and deaf to the cries of its own people.
This is not leadership. This is tyranny in disguise.
Let this stand as a warning. Governments do not write their legacy. The people do. And the people are watching. The people are suffering. And soon, the people will speak.
When that moment comes, history will not remember the UPND as saviors. It will remember them as the architects of Zambia’s democratic collapse.