By SIMON MUNTEMBA
THE August 12 elections loss will force UPND president, Hakainde Hichilema, to retire from politics, Lusaka Province PF chairperson Kennedy Kamba has predicted. The Economics Intelligence Unit (EIU) has submitted in its latest report on Zambia that President Edgar Lungu will win this year’s general elections.
Mr Kamba agreed with the EIU that this would be the last election for Mr Hichilema as it would be difficult for him to stomach the defeat. He told the Daily Nation that Zambians would retire Mr Hichilema because he had fallen short of their expectations. “HH is not a people’s person,” he said. He said Mr Hichilema had been allowed to remain in the political space but the electorate had snubbed him because they were able to see that he was only interested in his personal agenda and ambitions. “This is the more reason why the UPND looks divided and prominent people who worked with the late Anderson Mazoka have left the UPND.
The latest is Charles Kakoma, the former spokesperson of the UPND who has now joined the PF family,” Mr Kamba said. He said PF members were happy with Mr Kakoma who is settling well. Mr Kamba believed patriots like Mr Kakoma deserved all the support so that his political and economic experience he possesses could translate into significant contribution to the country’s well-being. “We are happy that the general citizenry saw this a long time ago and it is the more reason why they have kept on rejecting HH,” he said. Mr Kamba said the UPND has continued to struggle with the tribal tag and regional kind of politics which comes out prominently despite how much they try to hide.
Mr Kamba said unlike Mr Hichilema, President Edgar Lungu is a people’s person because of his humility and continued championing of unity under the One Zambia One Nation motto. “President Lungu embarked on a robust programme of delivering development to the people through infrastructure development, roads, state-of-theart hospitals, flyovers that are beautifying and decongesting our capital city Lusaka and many others,” he said.
