By the Independent Political Correspondent
Friday, 30th January, 2026
The recent by-election in Kasama has sparked a predictable chorus from the political establishment, aimed not at the victors, but at the spirited campaign of Harry Kalaba and the Citizens’ First (CF). To those who have asked why The Independent has taken a position in favour of the CF, our answer is rooted in a foundational principle: democracy is not a monolith.
If the sole formula for opposition success is the collapse of all parties into a single, uneasy conglomerate merely to defeat the UPND, then how does that new entity differ from the very regime it seeks to replace? Would it not simply be another top-heavy coalition built on the same saddle of tribal calculation, personal vendetta, and the suppression of divergent voices? We salute the CF for standing out, for refusing to be absorbed into a blob of political expediency.
The narrative that the CF “divided the vote” is not just simplistic; it is a deliberate distortion. Reports from the ground reveal a more damning truth: leaders from other opposition camps actively told voters *not* to vote for “some small party”—a clear and contemptuous reference to the CF. In their myopic focus on sidelining Kalaba, they didn’t just divide the opposition; they actively paved the road for the UPND to cruise to victory. Their strategy wasn’t to unite against a common foe, but to eliminate an internal rival. The result is a damning indictment of their priorities. Our conviction stands: had every party campaigned with the vigor and belief the CF demonstrated for its own candidate, the collective outcome would have been starkly different.
History is a harsh teacher, and we seem doomed to ignore its lessons. In 2021, the PF, then in power, was so fixated on humiliating Harry Kalaba that it allegedly paid his own election monitors ten times their fee—K500—simply to abandon their posts and go home to sleep. This wasn’t just petty politics; it was an act of national sabotage. The result? They not only gutted Kalaba’s tally—a figure they now mock—but they directly contributed to inflating the UPND’s final margin, handing them a decisive 2.8 million-vote lead. The architects of that folly are the same political operatives now sanctimoniously claiming Kalaba “does not want to work with others.” They are repeating the same playbook, and their endgame seems not to be defeating the UPND, but ensuring Kalaba does not rise. They are, wittingly or not, delivering 2026 to the very regime they claim to oppose.
We must reject these machinations. Their game is transparent. How else does one explain Dr. Danny Pule openly stating there is nothing wrong with working with the UPND government in this “current environment”? How does one “work with” a regime accused of the very treachery and repression they rally against? How do you explain the open praises of Makebi by Pastor Chanda and his supposed take over of NCP whose only MP voted in favor of Bill 7 at the instigation of the said Pastor Chnda? The truth is naked: these guys have no intention of working *with* Harry Kalaba or anyone that means well for Zambia. They demand he stand aside so they can take centre stage only to come and hand it over to the UPND. This is not the pluralistic democracy we fought for in 1991. We fought for a space where ideas compete, where parties like the CF enjoy the protection and respect of all well-meaning Zambians, not their contempt.
The Independent advocates for unity, but unity must be born of mutual respect, not coercion. It must not carry the arrogance and exclusion that birthed the UPND’s own ascent. The solution to Zambia’s crisis does not lie with the treacherous remnants of past failures. It lies with honest actors who can pass the integrity test, who campaign on principle rather than sabotage.
To the CF, congratulations on coming number three. In the complex arithmetic leading to a 50+1 presidential threshold, every principled vote you secure is not a “spoiler”; it is a foundational block for a credible, values-driven alternative. Your role is critical. As the political winds howl and weaker structures collapse, it is becoming clear that the CF will be among the last parties standing after the 90th-minute whistle is blown. You are proving that integrity is not a losing position; it is the only sustainable one. Number three is not a disappointment; it is a beacon. It shows that the path to 50+1 is not through a monolithic, compromised alliance, but through the steady, resilient growth of credible choice. Keep standing. The view of a better politics is within sight.
