Speaking during a Special Interview in Lusaka with ZNBC, Hichilema said he was monitoring the situation and described himself as “Chief Shushushu,” a local term for chief spy.

Warning Over Alleged Military Training

“I’m the Chief, Shushushu. I know what is happening,” Hichilema said. “My friend, you cannot send people to a foreign country to receive military training and expect them to return and disrupt elections in this country without being arrested.”

“You will be arrested. If you commit a crime, you must be prepared to face the consequences,” he said. “Why would you send people to train somewhere so that they can return and plan to kill?”

The President also condemned remarks attributed to an opposition leader that he was prepared to kill or be killed. “An opposition leader has said that he is prepared to kill or be killed. Nobody wants to kill him,” Hichilema said. “If he says he is prepared to kill, then who is he prepared to kill? Fellow citizens. And for what? Political competition?”

Patriotic Front Record on the CDF and Free Education

Hichilema also turned his attention to the Patriotic Front, which governed Zambia for ten years, criticising the party for not introducing free education. He questioned why the PF did not increase the Constituency Development Fund from 1.6 million kwacha, an amount he said could only cover a 1×3 classroom block, to the 40 million kwacha now allocated under his administration.

“A few people were sleeping on cash, using it as mattresses and pillows,” Hichilema said. “Where was that money coming from? It was coming from loans, including Eurobonds, which they failed to repay. The result was a debt service burden of about 2.3 billion US dollars.”

He said much of that borrowing financed questionable contracts, including projects that were never completed. “That was money they accessed through questionable contracts, including contracts for projects that were never completed. Some contractors received 50 percent down payments and never built the roads. They used that money as if it were their personal wealth. Is that how you run a country? No.”

No Return to Load-Shedding, President Says

Hichilema dismissed claims that Zambia will return to load-shedding after the elections. He said government is expanding electricity generation capacity to meet growing demand, targeting 10,000 megawatts from solar and other non-hydro sources.

Why It Matters

The interview came two days before Zambians vote in Thursday’s general election, at a moment when security agencies and the Electoral Commission of Zambia have been finalising preparations at the National Results Centre in Lusaka. Public reassurance from the Head of State on security and continuity of power supply is aimed partly at markets and investors, who watch pre-election statements from incumbents closely for signs of instability that could affect the kwacha, portfolio flows and business confidence in election week.

On energy, the 10,000 megawatt target signals continuity in Zambia’s diversification away from hydropower dependence, a policy priority since the 2024/2025 drought exposed the vulnerability of Kariba-linked generation to climate shocks. Investors in the power sector will be watching whether this commitment translates into concrete project timelines after the vote.

By Zambian Economist Analyst

Related Reading

• Hichilema Condemns Political Violence, Warns of ‘Full Consequences’ for Offenders
• Hichilema Meets ICGLR Election Observers
• ECZ Launches National Election Results Centre at Mulungushi Ahead of Thursday’s Vote
• Civil Society Deploys Over 600 Election Monitors Nationwide Ahead of Thursday’s Polls

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Over 600 trained election monitors and polling agents have been deployed to constituencies across Zambia by the ZIKO LATHU Consortium, a coalition of civil society organisations, as the country heads into Thursday’s general election.

Monitors Positioned As Independent Observers

ActionAid Country Director Faides Tembatemba said the monitors have been equipped to serve as impartial, independent and well informed stakeholders at polling stations, constituencies and results centres. She was speaking in Lusaka during the launch of the ZIKO LATHU Consortium Election Situation Room and Youth Election Command Centre, which will coordinate the monitoring effort and track incidents as they are reported from the field.

The Situation Room adds a dedicated civil society layer to the machinery already assembled for election day, alongside the National Election Results Centre the Electoral Commission of Zambia launched at Mulungushi and the broadcast safeguards the Independent Broadcasting Authority has put in place for results reporting.

National Coverage, With Focus On Under Monitored Areas

Tembatemba said the consortium will expand its efforts to cover all constituencies, keeping its monitoring approach national in scope while giving particular attention to areas that have had limited election monitoring infrastructure in the past. That includes rural and peri urban constituencies where independent observation has traditionally been thinner than in Lusaka and the Copperbelt.

Violence Against Women Flagged As A Priority

Non-Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council Executive Director Annie Anamela said violence against women during elections should be addressed promptly, adding her voice to a campaign period in which the Electoral Commission has already taken action against threats of political violence and President Hakainde Hichilema has warned of full consequences for offenders.

Call For A Large, Informed Turnout

Media Institute of Southern Africa National Director Austin Kayanda called on Zambians to make informed decisions by turning up in large numbers to vote for candidates of their choice, framing high, informed turnout as part of what keeps an election credible in the eyes of both citizens and outside observers.

Why Stakeholder Collaboration Matters

Panos Institute Southern Africa Executive Director Vusumuzi Sifile said the launch of the initiative is important because it demonstrates the need for stakeholder collaboration in ensuring free and fair elections. That collaboration mirrors the broader observation effort around Thursday’s vote, which has also drawn regional observers under the ICGLR and follows the arrival of ballot papers in constituencies such as Livingstone in the final stretch before polling.

What It Means

A credible, well observed election matters beyond politics. Independent monitoring of the kind ZIKO LATHU is deploying feeds directly into how quickly and how confidently results are accepted, which in turn shapes how soon government, business and development partners can settle into a period of policy certainty. For a country heading to the polls with several close, closely watched races, an accredited, nationally spread civil society presence at polling stations is one of the practical mechanisms that underpins that confidence.

By Zambian Economist Analyst

Related: Hichilema Warns of Arrests Over Alleged Election Disruption Plot

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By The Zambian Economist Analyst

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) officially launched the 2026 National Election Results Centre on 12 August 2026, at 11:00 hours, at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka. The Commission says the Centre will serve as the central point for the announcement of results for the 2026 presidential election, one day ahead of the 13 August general election.

A Venue Already Familiar to the Electoral Cycle

Mulungushi International Conference Centre has effectively served as the operational home of the 2026 electoral cycle. The venue hosted the launch of the General Election Roadmap and Electoral Law Reform process in July 2024, the announcement of 70 new parliamentary constituencies in April 2026, and, more recently, the National Accreditation Centre through which media and election monitors obtained clearance to observe polling and results proceedings. Housing the Results Centre at the same site keeps the Commission’s public-facing operations concentrated in one location for the final stretch of the process.

Results Expected Within Four Days

Under the ECZ roadmap, presidential results are scheduled for declaration within four days of polling, pointing to an announcement around 17 August. The Results Centre is the venue through which constituency and provincial tallies will be consolidated and communicated to the country, making its opening a practical milestone: the infrastructure, staffing and media arrangements for results day are now in place a day before voters go to the polls.

The launch follows a compressed final week of preparations. Distribution of ballot papers for the 13 August election concluded on 8 August, and the deployment of more than 81,000 poll staff trained for the exercise was scheduled to run from 10 to 12 August. The voters’ register for this election stands at 8.7 million.

Accreditation and Access Under Scrutiny

Access to the Results Centre has already featured in one controversy this week. The Commission revoked the accreditation of a political party official barred from the National Results Centre over a video in which he was alleged to have made threats of violence, underlining that entry to the venue now opening its doors is being treated as a privilege tied to conduct rather than an automatic right for accredited stakeholders. The Independent Broadcasting Authority has separately cautioned broadcasters against airing speculative results, a reminder that official communication from the Results Centre, rather than unverified projections, is intended to be the reference point once counting begins.

What This Means for Markets and Stakeholders

For investors and business planners, the practical significance of the launch is timeline clarity. A functioning, publicly identified Results Centre with a stated four-day results window gives markets, diplomatic missions and corporate risk teams a fixed point to plan around, rather than an open-ended waiting period. Zambia’s kwacha, bond spreads and copper-sector investment decisions have all shown sensitivity to political uncertainty in the run-up to previous elections, and a credible, transparent results process is generally read by analysts as supportive of continuity in economic policy regardless of the outcome.

For political parties and civil society observers, the Centre’s opening also starts the clock on logistics they will need to finalise: agent accreditation, transport to Lusaka, and the media arrangements through which results will be verified and disputed if necessary.

The Road Ahead

With polling stations opening on Thursday and the Results Centre now formally activated, attention shifts to turnout, the conduct of voting, and the pace at which constituency-level results are relayed to Lusaka. The Zambian Economist will continue tracking developments at the National Results Centre as counting and collation proceed.

The consortium’s deployment complements the results centre infrastructure; see how civil society has deployed over 600 election monitors nationwide ahead of polling.

Related: Hichilema Warns of Arrests Over Alleged Election Disruption Plot

WARNING! All rights reserved. This material and all other digital content on this website may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed, in whole or in part, without the prior express permission of The Zambian Economist. Where permission is granted, the content must be clearly credited to “The Zambian Economist,” with “www.zambianeconomist.com” prominently displayed.

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Related: Hapunda Makes Final Election Eve Appeal to Chongwe West Voters

The observers join 32 long-term observers working across all ten provinces and an 11-member core team based in Lusaka. The mission is also expected to include a delegation of Members of the European Parliament and accredited diplomats from EU member states, Norway and Canada.

What the observers will monitor

According to the EU mission, the short-term observers will monitor the opening of polling stations, voting, counting and the tabulation of results. Their deployment forms part of a broader assessment of the legal framework, election administration, voter registration, campaigning, political finance, media coverage, social media, complaints and the publication of results.

The mission says its observers are required to remain neutral and must not interfere in the electoral process. Their role is to assess the election against Zambia’s legal framework and the country’s international and regional commitments. The mission does not administer the election, validate results or determine who has won.

Mission to issue preliminary findings

Chief Observer Michael McNamara, a Member of the European Parliament from Ireland, is leading the mission. The EU says Zambia invited the team and that this is its sixth election observation mission to the country since 2001.

A preliminary statement is expected on 15 August, two days after polling day. A final report, including recommendations for future electoral processes, will be issued after the process has concluded. The EU mission has said it will remain in Zambia through the completion of the process, including a possible presidential run-off if one becomes necessary.

Election preparations enter final stage

The deployment comes as election preparations move into their final days. In Lusaka, 7,496 shortlisted poll staff have been undergoing training ahead of their assignment to polling centres.

For voters and political stakeholders, the observer mission’s most immediate contribution will be an independent public assessment shortly after polling. Its findings will not replace the Electoral Commission of Zambia’s official results or the legal procedures available for resolving electoral disputes.