Reality Check: Leadership Is No Walk in the Park, Mr. President- Thandiwe Ketis Ngoma
Reality Check: Leadership Is No Walk in the Park, Mr. President
By Thandiwe Ketis Ngoma
I recently came across a headline in News Diggers! quoting President Hakainde Hichilema saying, “Leadership is hard.” And I couldn’t help but pause and reflect: finally, a moment of honesty.
For years, Mr. President, you portrayed leadership as a straightforward task: a matter of discipline, common sense, and a bit of economic strategy. From the opposition bench, you harshly criticized every policy, every decision, and every move of your predecessor, President Edgar Chagwa Lungu. In your eyes, nothing President Lungu did was ever right, even policies and programs that clearly benefited citizens. You positioned yourself as the man with all the answers. To you, everything was broken, and only you could fix it.
But now, nearly four years into your presidency, you finally admit, “Leadership is hard.”
Yes, Mr. President, it is. And the people of Zambia have always known that. That is why they gave you their vote. Not because they believed you were flawless, but because you convinced them you understood the magnitude of the office. You promised transformation. You promised delivery. You promised better.
Instead, what they have received is a painful reality check. One that now leaves many Zambians questioning whether you were ever ready for this responsibility at all.
Let us call it what it is. Compared to President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, whom you once vilified for everything, the contrast today is glaring. Under the previous administration, the cost of living, while not perfect, was bearable. Fuel prices were manageable. Load-shedding was under control. The Cancer Diseases Hospital was operational. Major infrastructure projects were visible across the country: roads, bridges, ultra-modern bus stations, mini-hospitals, military housing, airports, and schools. Yes, borrowing occurred, but citizens could point to where the money went. They could see the development with their own eyes.
Today, your government has also borrowed even more than what the previous government borrowed in its first four years in power. Yet there is little to show for it. Instead of highways, Zambians are seeing the commissioning of unfished toilets, substandard drainage systems and bridges, septic tanks, and gates paraded as milestones. Is that the vision of development you promised? Every capital project you commission today is something your predecessor left nearly 80 percent complete. Yet you want to take full credit as if you initiated them from scratch. You ignore the foundation that was already in place, and we wonder why you insist on painting a false picture when the information is in the public domain.
Yes, we understand that government is about continuity. But acknowledging the efforts of your predecessor is important. The Kafulafuta Dam in Copperbelt, for example, was already 80 percent complete, yet you sought to portray it otherwise. The Kazungula Bridge was even commissioned by your predecessor, and yet you still wanted to claim it as your own achievement. How, Mr. President? Just how?
What is even more alarming is the surge in corruption, an issue you loudly campaigned against. The recent scandal in the Ministry of Health, exposed by a U.S. diplomat, has left many wondering where your anti-corruption crusade has disappeared to. The Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) report highlights disturbing trends in financial misconduct, yet there is no clear accountability. The questionable procurement of ambulances at inflated prices—ambulances that have still not been delivered—further exposes the cracks in your administration’s integrity. And through all this, your silence grows louder.
Even more shocking was the discovery of 60 plus containers of medicine and medical supplies kept at a private residence for seven months while hospitals and clinics across the country were in desperate need. Instead of dismissing the minister responsible, you transferred her to another portfolio. Accountability, it seems, is optional in your government, especially when it involves those in your inner circle.
You shield your ministers and officials from investigations into illegalities. Case in point: State House operatives allegedly mentioned in the abduction ordeal of Independent MP for Petauke Central, Hon. JJ Banda, have not been investigated. Even after leaked audios surfaced of two Permanent Secretaries, Thabo Kawana and Dickson Matembo, along with the Minister of Lands Sylvia Masebo coercing Hon. Banda to exonerate his abductors, no inquiry has been launched. How can you preach rule of law when impunity is practiced at the highest levels?
This is not a farm, Mr. President. This is a republic.
Managing livestock and harvesting maize may teach operational efficiency, but it does not prepare one to lead a nation battling economic challenges. Zambia needed a leader who understood the complexity and seriousness of this role. Not one who ridiculed good policies from the past, only to fail at producing better ones.
And what happened to your promises on democracy and the rule of law? You assured the nation that you would uphold constitutional values and protect civil liberties. Yet what we see instead is the weaponization of law. The Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act, which you vehemently opposed in opposition, has not only been retained, it has been strengthened under your leadership. You promised to repeal it. Now it seems you are using it to silence dissent and intimidate critics. Is that your intention?
Even the Constitution, which you swore to uphold, is being sidelined. Take the Mopani deal, where 51 percent of government shares were transferred to an investor without parliamentary approval. This is not just undemocratic; it is unconstitutional. Or consider the appointment of the Auditor General in an acting capacity, a man who is constitutionally overage for the position. These are not trivial oversights. They are direct violations of the very document that legitimizes your authority.
Your recent admission confirms what many suspected all along: the job is far more complex than your campaign rhetoric allowed. The slogans are empty. The results are missing. The hope is fading.
But confessions are not leadership. Words are not progress. Zambians are tired of speeches. They want solutions. They want outcomes. They want the leadership you promised: bold, honest, and transformative.
You fought for this office. You spent years demanding this opportunity. Now that you hold it, the people deserve more than rhetoric. They deserve action. They deserve a president who leads, not one who hides behind press conferences and endless blame games.
Time is running out. Trust is evaporating. The legacy you once envisioned is slipping through your fingers.
So now that you have admitted leadership is hard, the question remains: will you rise to meet the challenge, or will you continue to fall back on the same excuses you once condemned?
Zambia does not need a critic in State House. It needs a president who delivers.
