Lusaka, Zambia – UPND media director Mark Simuuwe has mounted a spirited defense of the ruling party’s governance record, positioning recent economic and social gains as evidence of what he described as “deliberate, people-driven leadership.” In a widely circulated statement, Simuuwe praised the Hichilema administration’s performance while calling on the opposition to provide tangible alternatives to the country’s current development trajectory.
Central to his commentary was the government’s ongoing debt restructuring effort. Simuuwe cited the reduction of ZESCO’s inherited domestic debt from K1.6 billion to K600 million as a direct result of the UPND’s Domestic Debt Dismantling Strategy (2022–2026). He said the government has already cleared over 75 percent of Zambia’s domestic arrears. He pointed to a notable K500 million settlement with Mamba Quarries, which he said unlocked the company’s capacity to double its power generation output, from 300 to 600 megawatts, providing a major boost to Zambia’s electricity supply.
“This is how crises are solved—through intelligent, strategic thinking,” Simuuwe asserted, suggesting that fiscal prudence under the UPND has not only revived public sector confidence but catalyzed private sector growth. He framed the energy expansion as both a symbolic and functional achievement, demonstrating the value of targeted debt clearance over political sloganeering.
In the education sector, Simuuwe highlighted the extension of student meal and accommodation allowances to seven additional public universities, up from just two under previous administrations. He emphasized that nutrition and learning are intertwined, and credited President Hichilema with understanding that reality. The construction of over 1,000 classroom blocks and procurement of desks from local carpenters, he added, reflect a dual-impact policyad, dressing infrastructure while stimulating small-scale manufacturing.
“Zambians are building Zambia,” he declared, drawing a direct line between the government’s use of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and grassroots economic empowerment. Simuuwe described the fund not merely as a budgetary line, but as a political philosophy rooted in decentralization and equity.
Simuuwe also turned his attention to the opposition, accusing rival parties of lacking coherent policy frameworks. “What is their alternative to free education? What replaces solar energy? What do they offer in place of the CDF model?” he asked. He dismissed recent opposition criticism of allowances and subsidies as “reactionary posturing” unsupported by a substantive vision.
He concluded with a forward-looking projection: “By 2034, Zambia will be unrecognizable—in the best way. The CDF is transforming this country from the ward level upward.” In his view, the UPND is not only governing but building the scaffolding for long-term national self-determination.
