DPP president, Mubanga, warns UPND repeating mistakes that toppled MMD, PF

Kafula Mubanga, President of the Development People’s Party (DPP), has accused the current United Party for National Development (UPND) administration of repeating the historical mistakes that led to the downfall of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) in 2011 and the Patriotic Front (PF) in 2021.

Mubanga described the PF’s 2021 exit as a “silent revolution” driven by debt default and violence through cadreism—warning that similar conditions were emerging in 2026 as “the wind of change was allegedly once again sweeping across Zambia.”

In a statement issued in Lusaka on Wednesday, Mubanga highlighted what he termed a recurring pattern of political turnover rooted in economic discontent among citizens.

He noted that the MMD fell after 20 years in power due to “urban discontent,” arguing that macroeconomic gains at the time failed to benefit the poor, especially those in rural and densely populated areas.

“As long as fuel and mealie-meal remain high, technical successes mean little to the average Zambian — the stomach votes,” Mubanga stated.

He cited subsidy fatigue as one of the driving factors, criticizing the removal of fuel and electricity subsidies, and claimed that many citizens feel “abandoned” due to International Monetary Fund-led conditions.

Mubanga argued that the UPND’s 2021 victory was built on “massive expectations” of a stronger Kwacha and reduced prices—promises he said had not meaningfully reached ordinary households.

He outlined what he described as a predictable cycle of leadership changes in Zambia since the First Republic under Kenneth Kaunda, driven by public grievance:

“UNIP (1991): driven out by the demand for democracy and food riots.
MMD (2011): fell due to corruption and ‘jobless’ economic growth.
PF (2021): removed due to the debt crisis and violent cadreism,” Mubanga said.

He warned that the UPND faced a potential exit in 2026 due to the high cost of living and continued subsidy fatigue, adding that “history is not a series of accidents but a teacher.”

Mubanga said the DPP was ready to offer a “new path” within the Tonse Alliance, one that balances economic reforms with what he called the “immediate dignity” of the Zambian people.

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