Recent statements made by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Media, Mr. Thabo Kawana, have reignited public concerns over the growing double standards being practiced by the current administration led by President Hakainde Hichilema.
During a press briefing held on April 8, 2025, Mr. Kawana openly revealed that former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu is undergoing chemotherapy treatment in South Africa, and even stated that he had personally spoken to him. This revelation, while well within the public’s right to know, has sparked widespread criticism over the selective application of transparency by the UPND government.
This comes in sharp contrast to the recent treatment of former Ambassador Emmanuel Mwamba, who was summoned by the police and accused of “spreading misinformation” after he publicly questioned the health and whereabouts of President Hichilema. Mr. Mwamba’s concerns were met not with clarification, but with intimidation.
This inconsistent approach raises serious questions:
• Why is it acceptable for a government official to disclose the medical condition of a former Head of State, but criminal for a citizen to ask about the current President’s health?
• Are all leaders equal before the law and media, or does the government protect its own while suppressing opposing voices?
• What happened to the principles of transparency, freedom of expression, and accountability, values that were central to the UPND’s campaign promises?
As a democratic nation, we cannot afford to selectively apply rules based on political affiliation or convenience. If transparency is to be a cornerstone of this administration, it must be universal, not conditional.
As a nation, we have the right to ask questions about our leaders whether past or present, without fear of retaliation. The health of national leaders, especially those in active service, is a matter of public interest, not taboo.
We call on the UPND government to uphold the values it claims to stand for: transparency, justice, and equal treatment under the law. Anything less would be a betrayal of the Zambian people’s trust
By Alexander Vomo,
MAFM, MProjMgt, PMP
The health of sitting presidents world over are a top secret, unless the concerned president decides on his volition to go public. Not so for former presidents. And given the foul play accusations flying around in the wake of Nawakwi’s demise, such government disclosure of former leaders’ illnesses is warranted!
These dullards don’t understand that……,
FWD2040
What a lie! Stop defending double standards that all can see.
Are you Hamasaka?
It’s only in primitive democracies that you privatise sitting presidents’ health. Even a king in Developed democracy will tell us like King Charles did recently.
I add : are there two types of sedition? Individuals from Western province were seen all over the mediums calling for the break of western province from the the rest of Zambia. Nawakwi and others were complaining about the misrule of country by the group called Upnd and she and her friends were arrested for seditious practices. Definitely there’s an element of selective hate in the way arrests are being carried out.
The HH law is one we use in Zambia
‘By Alexander Vomo,
MAFM, MProjMgt, PMP’
Only in Zambia!
How Zambians like titles and letters after their names! But none of these amount to anything useful for the nation. Bt it is like ‘Listen to me. I have got degrees!.’
That’s why he can’t differentiate the conditions on a sitting president to that of a former president………
Senseless qualifications
FWD2031
Yet another article by a government opponent that is a load of hogwash.
The moment you see someone quoting the name Emmanuel Mwamba, as a source for their article, you know it’s going to be a diatribe, subjective and anti government propaganda.