Ranking Zambian Presidents From Best To Worst

See Where Hakainde Hichilema Stands

By Field Ruwe EdD

Success of a president is linked to the concept of self-reliance. With the exception of one president who came close to optimizing national resources and enhancing domestic revenue, subsequent presidents have failed, in their first two years, to devise a comprehensive strategy that fosters self-reliance as an organizing principle. Who is the president that came close, and who is the one that completely failed? Here are the results of a comprehensive survey conducted by Zambia Development Institute (ZDI). Presidents are ranked from best to worst.

1. KENNETH KAUNDA (1964-1991)
Love him or hate him, Kenneth Kaunda stands as the sole Zambian president who enacted significant reforms that led to profound transformations in the nation’s self-reliance. He initiated his leadership with a vision of a self-reliant people bequeathed with mineral and natural resources.
Upon assuming office, Kaunda redirected the trajectory of Zambia’s development by establishing the University of Zambia within a two-year period (1965-1967) and completing its construction by the end of 1970. Tapping on the expertise of the 109 university graduates at the time of independence, including Professor Lameck Goma, Kaunda dedicated the nation to the pursuit of self-reliance and initiated efforts to instigate transformative changes across various sectors of Zambian society.

In 1968, Kaunda initiated the Mulungushi Reforms, which sought to transform Zambia’s mono-economy into a more diversified system through the nationalization of various industries. This involved securing a 51% stake in significant and medium-sized multinational companies. Following this, he directed a portion of the revenue generated from copper towards the development of manufacturing facilities managed by Zambians, aimed at benefiting the Zambian people.
Kaunda, with his visionary approach, sought the assistance of UNZA’s inaugural graduates to establish and oversee factories across each of Zambia’s seven provinces. This collaborative effort resulted in the swift development of a diverse range of industries within the country, including the Livingstone Motor Assembly plant, the Kawambwa tea factory, the Mansa battery factory, Mununshi Banana production, the Chipata bicycle factory, the Kapiri Mposhi glass factory, the Mulobezi Timber plant, and the Mwinilunga Pineapple canning factory. By January 1970, these initiatives provided rural residents and villagers with a reliable source of income. Since that time, none of the six Zambian presidents have matched Kaunda’s level of innovation.

2. LEVY MWANAWASA (2002-2008)
Levy Mwanawasa is regarded as Zambia’s best president by many Zambian scholars because of his leadership style that was more collaborative, empathetic, and ethical. He demonstrated a personal and political transformation that centered on self-reliance. However, his “New Deal” initiative lacked a cohesive and integrated strategy to address the multifaceted aspects of a comprehensive self-reliant program.
Mwanawasa was a staunch advocate for prioritizing agriculture as the cornerstone of the national economy, directing $53 million to support this initiative. A key component of his strategy involved the construction of dams to improve irrigation, which he considered vital for the agricultural sector in Zambia. His leadership approach significantly contributed to enhancing the health, economic well-being, and self-sufficiency of various communities throughout the country.

Mwanawasa, like Kaunda, gathered a group of scholars and specialists to advise him. He established a clear separation of duties between the Zambian police and the military, fostering a professional security sector free from political interference, which he considered a crucial aspect of national revitalization.
Mwanawasa’s New Deal came to untimely end with his passing in 2008. At the time of his death, advancements toward self-reliant were limited. However, his administration did achieve a notable economic growth rate of 5%, increased foreign currency reserves to US$1.4 billion, and recorded the lowest inflation rate in three decades. It is important to highlight that Mwanawasa played a key role in promoting substantial investments in infrastructure initiatives undertaken by Chinese companies.

3. MICHAEL CHILUFYA SATA (2011-2014)
Michael Sata, despite being a politically astute yet somewhat coarse figure with a confrontational personality, possessed a distinctive vision of self-reliance that is currently facilitating enhanced mobility and connectivity in both urban and rural regions. His aspiration was to reshape Zambia into a country marked by comprehensive road connectivity by the year 2017.
To actualize this vision, Sata launched the 8000 Zambia Accelerated National Roads Construction Program (ANRCP) in his first year of presidency. The main aim of this initiative was to enhance road infrastructure, encompassing the repair and upgrading of existing road networks. From 2011 to 2014, road construction initiatives represented 42 percent of the overall spending on non-financial assets.
Sata’s program attracted more Chinese contractors who engaged with Zambian government officials to secure contracts and offer loans intended to support road construction projects. The development of road infrastructure is essential for achieving self-reliance, as it promotes the efficient transportation of goods and individuals. This, in turn, enhances trade, draws in investments, encourages tourism, and guarantees access to critical services like healthcare and education.

Sata is ranked third primarily because of his image as “a man of action.” He implemented effective governance and inclusive policies that cultivated a transparent, market-oriented economy, attracting both local and foreign investors. Additionally, he reinvigorated initiatives aimed at reducing corruption. In 2012, the Zambian government received global acclaim for successfully issuing a US$750 million Eurobond. By the time of his death, Zambia’s GDP had achieved an unprecedented level of US$27.07 billion, a significant accomplishment realized in just three years.

4. RUPIAH BANDA (2008-2011)

Rupiah Banda rose to the presidency during a period of interregnum, taking office without an official mandate or a clearly defined independent strategic vision. In his inaugural address, Banda expressed his intention to base his national development agenda on Mwanawasa’s self-reliance principle, asserting, “I do not want people to think of Zambia as a Third World country with a begging bowl, because we are not. I want to empower all Zambians. I want people to think of Zambia as a prosperous and confident nation. I want to move from hand-outs to hand-ups.”

The first two years of Banda’s presidency were characterized by significant economic expansion, reaching a notable peak of 10.3% in 2010, comparable to the growth rates observed during President Kaunda’s administration in the early 1970s. Conversely, this exceptional economic progress faced a dramatic downturn between 2010 and 2011, falling to 5.6%.

Some Zambian economists contend that the downturn in Banda’s economic performance can be traced back to 2009, a year in which he strayed from the principle of self-reliance by entering into a US$3.6 billion agreement with Zhonghui Mining Group for the development of copper reserves. This agreement is seen as the onset of the rise in Zambia’s debt to China. In the end, Banda’s lack of vision caused the country’s GDP to slump to US$ 15.33 billion in 2010 from Mwanawasa’s US$17.91.

According to the 2011 Gallup Poll on African leaders conducted from April 15 to April 29, Banda received a 53% disapproval rating and was ranked 28 out of 34 African leaders in the area of governance. The same poll adjudged Banda among the worst performing African leaders. Fortunately, he salvaged the little integrity at the end of his reign when he acknowledged defeat and handed over the instruments of power to Sata.

5. EDGAR LUNGU (2015-2021)

An interregnum president like Banda, Edgar Lungu failed to inspire and lacked the essential vision required to steer Zambia towards self-reliance. Lungu should be placed at the bottom of the rankings as the worst president; nevertheless, his position is somewhat mitigated by the results of the 2024 Afrobarometer survey, which shows that a significant portion of the Zambian population is dissatisfied with the current economic climate and the country’s overall direction. The survey indicates that most Zambians believe their living standards have declined compared to those in 2020. This context offers Lungu a bragging right.

During his six-year reign, Lungu prioritized infrastructure development, much of which was already in progress. However, this focus led to excessive borrowing, placing Zambia on the brink of default due to an unsustainable external debt burden of $12 billion. The resulting debt default allowed Chinese and international creditors to exert control over the nation’s copper, gold, uranium, cobalt, land resources, and significant state-owned enterprises.

By the conclusion of his presidency, Lung had propelled the economy into a pronounced decline marked by critical macroeconomic challenges, notably double-digit inflation that reached a peak of 22.2%. Consequently, a considerable segment of the Zambian populace experienced extreme poverty, with 68% surviving on merely $1.70 per day and 28% subsisting on less than 30 cents.

6. HAKAINDE HICHILEMA (2021-present)

Hakainde Hichilema, who previously articulated a compelling vision for Zambia during his presidential campaign—one that emphasized a self-sufficient citizenry enjoying equitable opportunities across diverse ethnic groups within a free and democratic framework—has emerged as the most disappointing of all the presidents because much was expected from him.

In the three years of his reign, Bally the Fixer” has not come close to conceptualizing and propagating a tangible “self-reliance” concept that is a major alternative to the associative models of development advanced by developed nations. Instead, he has continued to depend on foreign aid and external investment that supersede Zambia’s goal of self-reliance.

According to survey conducted by Afrobarometer team of Zambia, led by the Institute of Economic and Social Research (INESOR), nearly 73% of the 1200 adult citizens of Zambia interviewed between July 8 and July 28, 2024, said Zambia’s economic condition is “fairly bad” or “very bad” while two-thirds (66%) feel the same about their personal living conditions.

Loadshedding has undoubtedly placed Hichilema in a perilous situation. His inability to effectively address the cataclysmic daily occurrence is at the core of the decline of his power.
The repercussions of loadshedding on the economy are profound, leading to diminished productivity across various sectors, heightened expenses associated with alternative energy sources, damage to equipment, and pushing numerous businesses towards insolvency. When the total financial losses are assessed, they amount to billions of dollars, and adversely affect the nation’s GDP.

Part of Hichilema’s poor ranking stems from the fact that he has not succeeded in revitalizing the mining sector and other industries that are the biggest employers and the fundamental pillars of the nation. Instead, he has opted to engage in practices akin to those of the contentious Zambia Privatization Agency, where he previously led the negotiation team and still faces allegations of personal gain.

Hichilema’s failure is evidenced in how he has ditched his campaign promises and resorted to weakening the opposition and curtailing freedom of expression. Similar to Edgar Lungu, Hichilema has also mysteriously lost his way and started inciting the police. The tragedy of this is that he has already instituted a reign of terror through arbitrary arrests and threats that have attracted the attention of the Human Rights Commission.

Hichilema’s lust for power is contained in his recent quote; “If police fail to maintain order, I will use the military.” Such a bloodbath comment has exposed Hichilema as a dangerous president who has lost the balance required for good leadership. This is another major reason he is at the bottom of the rankings. No Zambian president has attempted to civilianize the military to bolster or safeguard his personal power, regardless of the circumstances at hand.

7. FREDERICK CHILUBA (1991-2002)

First democratically elected president Frederick Chiluba is Zambia’s president who cared less about self-reliance. Seen as a champion of democracy and free-market reforms, Chiluba embarked on the privatization of the nation’s copper mines and the reduction of currency regulation. While his approach decreased inflation to its lowest level in twenty years, what seemed to be a promising example of democratic progress in Africa ultimately resulted in one of the most self-serving reigns of a president.

As Chiluba consolidated his power, he increasingly deviated from the tenets of good governance, redirecting funds obtained from privatization and the sale of state assets into the Zamtrop account for personal gain. His transformation from rugs to riches was exemplified by a lavish shopping spree at Boutique Basile in Geneva, where he reportedly spent $1.2 million.

Chiluba’s extravagant expenditures resulted in an assorted collection of 349 monogrammed shirts, 206 designer jackets and suits, and 72 pairs of size-6 shoes. In 2007, a court in the UK determined that Chiluba was liable of embezzling $46 million. Judge Peter Smith of the London High Court condemned Chiluba for his overt dishonesty towards his constituents and for flaunting his affluence through a wardrobe of “stupendous proportions.”

Similar to Hichilema, Chiluba reneged on his commitment to uphold freedoms concerning the press and association, leading to the arrest of opposition party leaders on fabricated charges. Under Chiluba’s repressive regime, Zambia witnessed the suspicious and untimely deaths of numerous prominent individuals, including Baldwin Nkumbula, Paul Tembo, Ronald Penza, Wezi Kaunda, and Cuthbert Nguni. Kenneth Kaunda narrowly escaped an assassination attempt.

Ultimately, Chiluba’s tenure resulted in the nation reaching one of the lowest economic standings globally. Upon his departure from office, the free-market reforms he implemented had not succeeded in establishing enduring economic stability. The unemployment rate remained around 20 percent, while over 80 percent of the country’s 12 million inhabitants subsisted below the poverty threshold, earning less than one dollar daily. He exited office with a poverty rate of 80%, a significant increase from Kaunda’s 56%.

Please Note: I am not a social media influencer but a scholar practitioner-cum-pracademic. A pracademic is a person who has both academic and practical identities and experiences in their field. My Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., qualifies me as such. As a professional degree is awarded in medicine and law, so is one awarded in education. In other words, like them, I am also just doing my job. So, Help Me God. The rights to this article belong to ZDI (Zambia Development Institute), a US-based think tank.