A wounded Nation cannot clap!

Lusaka, Zambia.

11 October 2026.

A Pastoral Response to the Presidential Claim of Peaceful and Fair Elections.

I have listened with respect to His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema’s assertion that, despite some challenges, Zambia once again conducted peaceful and fair elections.

The President is entitled to speak with confidence about his country. But the citizens of that country are equally entitled to ask whether that confidence is shared by the people whose votes, safety, rights and trust give democracy its meaning.

I write neither to insult the Presidency nor to discredit a political party. I write as a Zambian, a minister of the Gospel and a citizen who believes that the love for the country must never require silence in the face of legitimate questions.

Patriotism is not the art of defending everything a government says. It is the courage to insist that our country must always be greater than any government, any party or any leader.

The question before Zambia is not whether we desire peace. We do. It is whether the available evidence justifies declaring the process peaceful and fair without first confronting the concerns raised by independent observers, the deaths reported during the electoral period, and the questions surrounding counting and tabulation.

A nation can celebrate its achievements without concealing its wounds. The measure of responsible leadership is not the ability to avoid uncomfortable questions, but the willingness to answer them honestly.

1. PEACE MUST BE MEASURED BY THE SAFETY OF THE PEOPLE: Peace is more than the absence of widespread fighting. It includes the freedom to vote, observe, count, question and participate without intimidation.

On 19 August 2026, the European Union Election Observation Mission reported that the Electoral Commission of Zambia had suspended nationwide counting and announcement from 12:00 to 18:00 on 14 August, citing violent incidents targeting polling staff and allegations of ballot-box theft.

The Mission also reported that the conduct of tabulation deteriorated significantly after counting resumed, and that a heavy military presence at totalling centres was reportedly intimidating to many people involved.

These are not allegations invented by opponents. They are findings published by an international mission. The same report acknowledged that polling agents and citizen observers were present in almost all totalling centres it observed. A fair assessment must acknowledge both the participation that occurred and the shortcomings that were documented.

Article 45 of the Constitution requires an electoral process that is free and fair, free from violence and intimidation, and characterised by independence, accountability and transparency. These are not aspirations. They are constitutional standards.

Peace is not established because the streets are quiet. It is strengthened when citizens feel safe and those who raise concerns can do so without fear.

2. FAIRNESS MUST BE OPEN TO VERIFICATION: Democracy does not ask citizens to trust a declaration simply because it has been made by an authorised institution. It requires institutions to provide enough transparency to sustain public confidence.

The EU Mission reported that after the suspension of counting, the proportion of observations in which totalling-centre staff ensured that figures entered into the digital system matched those on the tally sheets fell from 100% to 81%.

It also reported that in 42% of observations after the suspension, staff failed to record results on the tally sheet immediately after the returning officer announced them, as prescribed by law.

The Mission further noted that the ECZ did not publish disaggregated polling-station results on its website, despite the benefit of allowing the public to compare polling-station figures with those announced by the Commission.

These findings do not by themselves prove fraud. They do establish a legitimate basis for demanding greater transparency. An honest citizen should neither pronounce guilt without evidence nor dismiss documented concerns without examination.

The Gen 20 form is the primary documentary trail through which results can be checked. I therefore respectfully ask, Why should publication of polling-station results be treated as a threat to confidence rather than its strongest safeguard?

Let the ECZ publish the official polling-station results in a readily accessible format, subject to lawful protections. Let parties, observers and citizens compare those records with figures announced at constituency and national levels.

If the figures reconcile, transparency will strengthen confidence. If discrepancies emerge, the law provides the framework to resolve them. A transparent process does not fear verification. It welcomes it.

3. NO ELECTION IS FAIR WHILE A FAMILY STILL MOURNS: No discussion of peace should ignore a family that lost a loved one during the electoral period.

On 14 August 2026, the Zambia Police Service publicly announced that nine suspects had been apprehended in connection with the alleged murder of a polling agent who was reportedly assaulted at Kasamba Polling Station in Matero on 13 August and later died.

The police announcement established that a death occurred and investigations were underway. It did not establish guilt, which must be determined lawfully. That distinction is essential to justice. But it does not diminish the obligation to investigate thoroughly.

A family deserves more than competing accounts. It deserves a clear, credible and impartial account established through evidence.

The case of Hon. Mutotwe Kafwaya raises further grave questions. On 25 August 2026, Amnesty International called for a prompt, independent, impartial and effective investigation into his reported killing during a security operation in Lusaka on 14 August.

The European Parliament subsequently adopted a resolution on 17 September calling for independent investigations into his death and other allegations of unlawful force.

These calls do not determine liability. They demonstrate that circumstances warrant serious scrutiny. I make no finding of guilt against any person. I ask only that loss of life be treated with gravity, without political favour.

If a polling agent dies, investigate. If a citizen is killed during a security operation, investigate. If officers acted lawfully, credible evidence should establish that. If anyone acted unlawfully, the law must take its course. Justice must not be partisan. Neither must grief.

4. HOW CAN AN ELECTION BE CALLED PEACEFUL, FREE AND FAIR WHEN KEY CONTENDERS ARE IN MAXIMUM PRISON? A peaceful election does not end on polling day. It is judged also by what happens after.

Today, key contenders and voices who participated in or questioned the electoral process; including Hon. Brian Mundubile, Adv. Makebi Zulu and others, are detained on non-bailable charges, including treason, and held in maximum-security facilities.

I make no pronouncement on their guilt or innocence. That is for competent courts to determine lawfully and fairly. Every citizen, including those in opposition, is entitled to due process, presumption of innocence, and trial without political persecution.

But a simple question must be asked with respect. How can the nation be told the election period is over and peaceful when those who contested it are in maximum prison awaiting treason trials?

If their cases are criminal, let evidence be presented openly before independent courts. If their detention is political, then peace has not been achieved, it has only been enforced.

Free and fair cannot mean only free to vote. It must also mean free to contest, to challenge, to speak after the result without fear of losing liberty.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General called for an end to arbitrary arrests, for due process and for the release of persons detained for political reasons. The European Parliament raised similar concerns about alleged arbitrary arrests and intimidation.

I echo that call in a pastoral voice, Let the law be the master, not the servant, of politics. Let courts be open, let charges be tested, let families see their relatives, and let the nation see justice done without vengeance.

You cannot celebrate unity while the other side of the contest is in chains.

5. THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE MUST BE TRACEABLE FROM THE BALLOT TO THE DECLARATION: The central question is simple, can the result declared at the end be traced transparently to results recorded at polling stations?

The EU Mission’s findings about weaknesses in recording and verification make this question critical.

I am not asking the nation to accept unverified allegations that particular candidates won or lost unfairly. I am asking that official records be made available for independent comparison and that substantiated discrepancies be addressed through lawful mechanisms.

The ECZ has a responsibility not only to administer elections but to protect credibility. Transparency serves the winner, the loser and, above all, the citizen.

The strongest defence of an election is not the volume of those who praise it. It is the quality of evidence that sustains it.

6. LEADERSHIP IS MEASURED BY WILLINGNESS TO HEAR UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTHS: Mr President, I recognise the honour of your office. You are President of all Zambians, those who voted for you, those who voted against you, and those who did not vote. That responsibility calls for leadership greater than party loyalty.

A President must be able to celebrate progress while acknowledging pain. He must be able to defend achievements without treating every criticism as hostility. He must be able to assure the nation of peace while permitting credible investigations into incidents that disturbed that peace.

The same standard applies to the opposition. No party should be permitted to use violence, intimidate citizens, or manufacture allegations without evidence. The law must apply equally.

MY RESPECTFUL APPEAL

Mr President, I pray for you and for peace. I do not ask you to accept every allegation against your government. I ask you to ensure credible allegations receive credible answers.

I do not ask the nation to reject the result because questions were raised. I ask the nation not to confuse an official declaration with the end of every legitimate question.

I do not ask anyone to abandon loyalty. I ask that loyalty never become stronger than conscience, evidence or the Constitution. I ask us to protect hope by confronting matters that threaten confidence.

A wounded nation does not need to be instructed to celebrate before its wounds are acknowledged. It needs truth, justice where wrongdoing is established, and reconciliation built on honesty rather than silence.

That is why I return to the burden of my conscience:

A WOUNDED NATION CANNOT CLAP.

It can hope. It can pray. It can forgive. It can rebuild. But it cannot be healed by being told its pain does not exist.

Mr President, the greatest strength of leadership is not to insist that every account of national life must be flattering. It is to have courage to examine evidence, listen to the wounded and correct what must be corrected.

Let the records speak. Let investigations proceed. Let the law protect everyone equally. Let truth be established without fear or favour.

Then, when Zambia celebrates, its celebration will be deeper than political victory. It will be the celebration of a people whose institutions have earned their trust.

Our country is greater than an election. Our democracy is greater than a party. And our people deserve a truth strong enough to unite us.

I kneel in prayer for Zambia, but I will not kneel before falsehood. I respect the Presidency, but I will not confuse respect with silence. I love my country, and that is why it must be brave enough to face the truth.

May God grant our leaders wisdom, our institutions integrity, our citizens courage, and our nation grace to choose truth over convenience, justice over vengeance, and unity over division.

One Zambia. One Nation. One standard of truth and justice for all.