Lungu's leadership left a permanent mark on Zambia's healthcare landscape- DR. CHITALU CHILUFYA - The Zambian Observer
FORMER MINISTER OF HEALTH DR. CHITALU CHILUFYA WROTE…
Farewell Your Excellency; from a Grateful Nation!
My wife, Mutinta, and I join a sorrowful nation in mourning the passing of former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu in the morning of 5th June 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Words cannot fully convey the anguish of heart for such a colossal loss to the nation and to his family. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mama Esther Lungu and the family.
Fifth June will never be the same again for our nation; a day that the Righteous Judge has called this humble servant President home bidding him “well done faithful servant.”
President Lungu’s presidency was forged in the trials, tribulations and joys known by an average Zambian. From a place of obscurity and limited opportunity, he rose to the highest office of the land. The monuments of infrastructure donning our country side stand as true testimony to his indelible legacy. Judicious with little, this humble and faithful servant from Chawama can now rest in the bossom of Father Abraham. For his good deeds followeth him.
There are lessons to learn in this moment of sorrow and grief. In President Lungu, the son of a miner in Wusakili and Chiwempala can find inspiration, a young girl from Chawama and Chimwemwe can dream. At the very least, humility has ceased to be a weakness but a virtue with which one could soar high into the halls and corridors of power.
We cannot forget that putting country above self, he handed over power when the peoples voice loudly spoke.
This humble alumnus of Mukuba Secondary and University of Zambia heed the recall, and touted it a privilege to have served.
Now He has slipped away from this life into the sunset and twilight beyond our gaze. Now the books of judgement are opened unto him where all his works are recorded. O thou Righteous Judge, may his selfless leadership and his developmental legacy speaketh well for him.
For all of us that remain, this is time neither for political brinkmanship nor partisan pettiness. It is a solemn moment that demands unity in grief, civility in conduct, and above all, a decent State funeral that reflects the honour and dignity of the office he once held. Anything less would be a betrayal of our collective values as a nation.
Throughout his presidency, Lungu demonstrated a quiet but resolute commitment to duty. Those who worked under him, like me who was privilegded to be his minister of health, speak of a leader who led with confidence, loyalty, and strategic foresight. From the establishment of the National Health Insurance Management Authority (NHIMA), the Levy Mwanawasa Medical University and the Zambia National Public Health Institute to the construction of specialist hospitals and the mass recruitment of health workers, Lungu’s leadership left a permanent mark on Zambia’s healthcare landscape.
In times of national crisis – such as the pandemic and the cholera outbreak – he led from the front, sometimes placing early morning calls to get real-time updates. These were not the actions of a ceremonial figurehead but of a hands-on, responsive commander-in-chief leading his troops against a formidable biological and medical foe.
A state funeral for our fallen leader is not a favour to his family or party – it is a constitutional and moral obligation to the institution of the presidency. The infectious wave of grief sweeping across the nation is not a coincidence; it is a genuine outpouring from people who saw in Lungu a leader who, despite his faults, served them with humility and a sense of purpose.
Zambia’s humanity is on trial. Our people are watching with bated breath to see whether we will emerge a better people from this tragic loss. Will the spectre of acrimony and intolerance continue in our ranks? Or the banner of brotherhood and reconciliation find a place in our nations collective conscience?
President Lungu has been called back to his Father’s home. We, too, as a people are called to make this country a home for all, a place where our differences make us better not bitter.
Zambians are a proud and free people. Never bowed down by the strings of sorrow and adversity. Even in these days of pain, wrath and ashes, they desire their President a dignified send off. A decent State funeral not just about flags, pomp and ceremonies, but as a statement of national character, of who we are; from many tribes but one people united by bonds of patriotism.
It says we honour our past, we value service, and we understand the solemnity of leadership. Let there be peace among political rivals. Let there be civility in how we grieve. Let there be unity in honouring a man who, through calm leadership and enduring humility, earned his place in Zambia’s history.
To President Lungu: your chapter is now in the hands of history, the people you diligently served shall not allow it to be rewritten by opportunism or defaced by the graffiti of indifference. You led. You served. You sacrificed. And now, you deserve to be laid to rest with the full honour of a grateful nation. May your legacy inspire a more respectful politics, and may your final journey be marked by the unity you always sought to uphold.
You may now find rest in the bossom of your maker where torment touches you no more.
Rest in Eternal Peace, Your Excellency, and may perpetual light shine upon your face.
