01/01/2026
How the UPND's War with non comforming Catholic Priests creates negative Perception that May Cost It The Throne.
By Barbrah Musamba Chama
In the high-stakes chess game of Zambian politics, where perception is often the most potent currency, the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) has just sacrificed a queen in a move that reeks not of malice, but of profound, almost amateurish, tactical folly. The summoning of Archbishop Alick Banda of the Lusaka Archdiocese by the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) is not merely a news item; it is a catastrophic inflection point. It reveals a government so intoxicated with the machinery of state power that it has forgotten the first rule of political survival: you do not pick a fight with an institution that owns the moral high ground and commands the hearts of millions, especially not nine months before a general election.
The Gift That Keeps on Taking: A "New Year Gift" of Distrust
The framing of this event as the UPND's "New Year gift" to the Catholic Church is a masterstroke of ironic political commentary. It is a gift of distrust, a present of persecution complex, wrapped in the tinfoil of legal procedure. The DEC may operate within its mandate, but in politics, the how and when are everything. To summon a sitting Archbishop a shepherd viewed by millions as a moral compass, a successor to the fearless legacy of Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo and the outspoken Cardinal Medardo Mazombwe is to willingly step onto a spiritual and public relations minefield.
Even if the DEC emerges with nothing no charge, no indictment the damage is irrevocably calcified. As noted, "the meeting alone is name-denting." In the public square, suspicion often adheres more stubbornly than exoneration. The narrative now seeded is one of a government intimidating, harassing, and attempting to silence a critical voice from the pulpit. The Catholic Church, with its vast grassroots network through parishes, schools, and hospitals, operates a communication and influence system that no political party can rival. That network is now abuzz with a story of victimization.
The Fatal Error: Sidelining Soldiers for Generals
This misstep is symptomatic of a deeper, more systemic cancer within the UPND "the sidelining of its soldiers on the battle front for generals in offices." This is the article's most penetrating insight. The UPND's stunning 2021 victory was forged in the furnace of grassroots mobilization. It was built by the "soldiers" the ward chairpersons, the youth activists, the village volunteers who faced tear gas and intimidation. Four years into power, many feel abandoned, their loyalty repaid with bureaucratic neglect, as patronage networks concentrate power and resources around a Lusaka-centric "general staff."
This creates a fatal disconnect. The grassroots machinery, the very engine of electoral triumph, is rusting from inertia and grievance. Meanwhile, the "generals" in air-conditioned offices, perhaps relying on sterile polling and the incumbency advantage, make decisions like the Archbishop summons decisions that appear tone-deaf to the visceral realities on the ground. They mistake legal justification for political wisdom. They engage in battles that need not be fought, while neglecting the trenches they already hold.
The War That Wasn't: A Perception of Conflict with the Faithful
The ultimate cost is the perception "that President Hakainde Hichilema is at war with the catholics." Whether this is his personal intention is irrelevant. Politics is not a court of law; it is a court of public opinion. The image of a President, already grappling with narratives of economic hardship, now seemingly aligning the state's apparatus against a beloved religious leader, is politically toxic. It unifies a significant voting bloc Catholics and those who respect the Church's social justice voice in defensive solidarity against the government.
The timing is, as noted, "a school boy mistake that Experienced Politicians can't make." An experienced politician understands that ahead of an election, you consolidate your base, you pacify swing constituencies, you avoid unnecessary controversy. You certainly do not provide your opponents with a ready-made, emotionally charged campaign slogan: "They are even arresting the Bishops!"
Conclusion: The Bleeding Wound
Coupled with the existing "poor management of grassroots," this incident is not a scratch but a deep, bleeding wound. It will injure the UPND in two ways: first, by actively alienating a core segment of the electorate that spans ethnic and regional lines; second, by demoralizing its own base, who see a party squandering its moral capital and strategic focus.
The 2026 election will not be won in the DEC offices or the State House. It will be won or lost in the pews of St. Ignatius, in the compounds of Kasama, and in the heart of every grassroots "soldier" who now wonders if their general is fighting for them or fighting against the very institutions that anchor their community. By failing to grasp this, the UPND may have given itself not just a New Year gift of scandal, but a lasting gift of regret. The perception of a war on the Church may well become the reality of a lost election.
