The Independent Correspondent
Wednesday 28th January, 2026
One reality has become impossible to ignore in Zambia’s opposition politics: the party that every other opposition leader is quietly but aggressively seeking to neutralise is not the Socialist Party (SP), not the Patriotic Front (PF), and not even the ruling UPND. The real target is Harry Kalaba’s Citizens First (CF).
Over the past months, The Independent has been approached by a growing number of so-called political heavyweights, all urging us to take a hostile position against the CF and its leader. Some have been subtle, others blunt, but the message has been consistent: discredit Harry Kalaba, portray him as unwilling to work with others, dismiss him as a nonentity, and weaken his growing appeal.
These requests forced us to pause and investigate a simple but troubling question: why are political rivals seemingly united around fighting Harry Kalaba instead of confronting the UPND, a government that has presided over untold hunger, economic pain, and policy failure?
It is the UPND—not CF, not Harry Kalaba—that publicly admitted its own failure by announcing that farmers would be paid by the 10th of January. Paying farmers in January is not an achievement; it is an admission of collapse. Farmers who should have been paid in September or October were forced to wait until mid-January. That is a scandal deserving relentless scrutiny. Yet, instead of pushing us to focus on this failure, opposition figures want us to attack Harry Kalaba.
We posed direct questions to some of those making these requests:
If Harry Kalaba is a nonentity, why are you so preoccupied with bringing him down?
Why does it not unsettle you when the UPND gains ground, but the moment Kalaba begins to carry the masses, you panic and begin to speak ill of him?
How do you explain a so-called opposition leader travelling all the way to Kasama, not to mobilize for their candidate, but simply to trail areas where Kalaba is believed to have gained momentum?
As the negative requests increased, a disturbing pattern emerged. Even among individuals who present themselves as senior citizens and moral voices, self-serving interests have taken centre stage. Some have gone as low as saying that Harry Kalaba comes from Luapula and therefore should not be allowed to take centre stage nationally. How cheap—and dangerous—can our politics become?
From this day forward, The Independent is taking a clear and unapologetic position. We will challenge this treachery head-on. Every time an opposition leader approaches us with a request to publish something negative about Harry Kalaba and the CF, we will deliberately publish something positive about him instead. We do this not to create division, but to promote genuine unity and expose hypocrisy within the opposition.
At one point, detractors claimed Kalaba was working with the UPND and that this was why he was allowed to hold rallies while others were allegedly blocked. Our investigations tell a very different story. Harry Kalaba is not hated because he is favoured; he is hated because he is consistent.
When we asked three of his loudest accusers how many times they had applied for permits to hold rallies, the answer was shocking: zero. Nil. Not even once. Their excuse? They “knew” they would not be allowed. Meanwhile, the same Kalaba they attempted to mudsling has applied 27 times and was only allowed four times—an approval rate of 14.81%. Like him or not, that is consistency, courage, and commitment to lawful political engagement.
Of those four rallies, two were shared with former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, and only two took place after President Lungu left UKA. Our political correspondent has further established that Harry Kalaba is the only opposition leader outside the PF who openly accepted President Lungu and was not afraid to share a platform with him when he was still eligible to contest the 2026 elections.
The conclusion is unavoidable: the man to beat is Harry Kalaba. That is why the attacks are relentless. That is why hired “elders” suddenly appear, pretending to promote unity while quietly expressing reservations about him—reservations rooted not in values or competence, but in where he comes from.
We have seen the damage this kind of thinking has already done. Look at the turbulence that figures like Given Lubinda have carried the PF through, yet some insist he cannot be a presidential candidate simply because his name does not resonate with their preferences or because of his region of origin. That is not political strategy; it is tribalism. And it must be called out as such.
True unity cannot be built on tribal inclinations. It must be built on values, integrity, and shared purpose. Ironically, the very politicians who talk down on others who have worked tirelessly to build their parties and careers are the same ones holding secret meetings with the UPND. Some of them voted for Bill 7 while engaging with figures like Chabinga, Levy Ngoma, and Batuke Imenda, yet they want the nation to believe Harry Kalaba is “someone’s project.” The real crime of Kalaba is that he has refused to be corrupted and chosen not to betray the people of Zambia.
The Independent will not dignify politicians who lack integrity with coverage. What we will do—consistently and deliberately—is continue presenting to the nation leaders whose character and conduct speak for themselves.
We know this article will not sit well with some. That is fine. The truth is uncomfortable. We know there are treacherous actors who do not mean well for this country. As we call for genuine unity, we also call for serious introspection by civil society organisations, the clergy, and—most importantly—the youth movements. Do not surrender the unity agenda to parties and individuals sponsored by the very forces they claim to oppose.
Do not allow the Bill 7 lesson to repeat itself. The Independent will not. We stand for principle. We stand for consistency. We stand against orchestrated character assassination.
