HH STRUGGLED TO MANAGE OLDER UPND MPs
By Dickson Jere
BOOK REVIEW
Author: Hakainde Hichilema
Title: You Can’t Share Poverty
Publisher: Penguin Books (South Africa)
Year: 2026
Number of Pages: 187
Incumbent Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema (HH), in his newly published book, candidly discusses his political journey and the difficulties he faced before becoming President in 2021. It is an interesting autobiography by the sitting President.
HH says he never wanted to join politics, but circumstances forced him to do so, especially following the death of Anderson Mazoka, the founder of the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND). He had always wanted to remain in the background of the UPND, despite being one of its founders.
He reveals how difficult it was to manage the older UPND Members of Parliament who had been in politics longer than him when he took over the party in 2006. He says he only took effective control of the party in 2016.
“For the first time, I was in sole charge of my party, a party that had many older MPs who were difficult to manage,” the President writes on page 34 of his newly released book, You Can’t Share Poverty.
“I was just 53 (years) in 2016, by which time some of these MPs had been in office for 15 years,” he says.
The President describes how people were not always honest in politics, but he had to learn how to work with his opponents, even when they did not share his way of thinking. He also discusses the differences within the UDA alliance, where some members refused to support his presidential bid.
“I learnt the imperative of mobilizing people, of the limits of alliances, and just how fickle people could be in politics,” the President says.
HH also discusses his participation in and loss of previous presidential elections, while maintaining that he had actually won the 2015 and 2016 elections but that the results were rigged against him by the PF government. He says he was advised by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo that, to win an election in Africa as an opposition candidate, one must secure a large margin of victory.
“We realized that we had to work harder to create a national support base, and to change the perception, which was far from the actual voting reality, that we were a Tonga party,” he says on page 34 of his book.
“We had to win the trust of a diverse range of supporters, especially among the populous Bemba people,” he adds.
The President also describes how the international community did not support him and the UPND during their struggles. He mentions only a few individuals, including former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, General Obasanjo and South African politician Mmusi Maimane, as people who stood by him.
“It is always curious when one makes it to State House how many newfound friends one acquires. But back then, friends were few and far between…” he says.
The President recounts how his home was raided on 10 April 2017 and how he was arrested and charged with treason following a traffic incident.
“I was arrested after armed policemen stormed my home in a raid, which included defecating on our bed and firing tear gas. It was an extraordinary reaction by a regime that had lost its way,” the President writes.
“At the time of my arrest, the UPND refused to recognize the legitimacy of Lungu’s reelection, infuriating the President, apparently to the point of violence,” he adds.
In 2021, HH says the UPND changed its campaign strategy. Instead of relying on its previous approach, he developed campaign “silos”, in which the party organised smaller teams and used scientific data to win the elections. According to him, the PF government did not see it coming.
“In so doing, success was founded on the lessons learnt over many years of past failures and successes,” he reveals.
“We didn’t just run a campaign; we ran a modern, data-driven operation that out-thought the machinery of the state,” he says.
The 187-page book is a very good read. It provides insights into the UPND, the President’s approach to leadership and how he intends to develop Zambia. It is a must-read for anyone interested in politics, particularly UPND members, who should seek to understand their leader better.