“From Bromance to Blood-sport: President HH vs Gary”
…in a political rat race
Amb. Anthony Mukwita wrote:
25th May 26.
It was once a bromance for the ages: President Hakainde Hichilema (HH) and his loyal lieutenant Gary Nkombo, aged 62, the indefatigable former Minister of Local Government.
But the “loveless marriage” ended in public spectacle when President HH sacked Gary, a dismissal that shocked Mazabuka and beyond.
The rupture played out like a Shakespearean tragedy, with Gary left to nurse wounds inflicted not by the opposition, but by his own best friend. Down at the dumpsite.
For decades, while HH faced political turmoil, it was Gary who kept the 800 strong philosophical name of the “reds” alive inside and outside Parliament.
He was hurled into jail time after time, yet returned, still shouting HH’s name as leader. Unlike others who crossed the floor, Gary never did. He remained steadfast, even when loyalty cost him dearly.
History warns us: when power fights power, kingdoms crumble. Medieval Europe saw Brutus stab Caesar in 44 BC, Mark Antony turn Rome into chaos, Judas betray Christ for thirty pieces of silver, and Mobutu Sese Seko devour Zaire until it collapsed in 1997.
The United States itself tore apart in the Civil War of 1861–65. In Africa, leaders from Uganda to the DRC have been undone not by opposition, but by insiders.
The seam breaks, dirty linen is washed in public, and the empire eats itself alive.
Are we now witnessing the end of the UPND not by Brian Mundubile or Makebi Zulu, but by Gary Nkombo? The nation watches, just days before the August 13 polls.
The UPND burns down the cliff with no brakes, while the opposition watches with glee, barely needing to lift a finger.
As Bob Marley sang in Rat Race: “Only your friend can bring you down, because it’s only he who knows your secrets. Who the cap fits, let them wear it. Some will eat and drink with you.”
Brother Gary knows HH perhaps as much as President HH knows Gary. That is the danger but aa plus for the opposition.
For the record: I am just a storyteller, a historian, an academic. I have no dog in this fight. I seek peace and unity only.
It is wrong to stop Zambians from running as independents if rejected by their parties because the constitution allows them it’s not illegal regardless of what Gilbert Liswaniso says when high with power.
It is worse for cadres to storm government buildings and attack honourable former MPs, ministers, or any citizen. I respect brother Gary deeply — I have known him personally, shared wine and bread with him in and out of opposition for almost three decades.
What happened to him, and his wonderful wife must not happen to anyone in 2026
I absolutely have no idea where the love was lost between President HH and brother Gary.
But President HH is the big man in the house, elected by an overwhelming landslide in 2021.
He must use that mandate to unite, not divide, he is a church leader at SDA. Let the culprits that brutalized brother Gary go to court and answer charges. Zambia must not become Tanzania, Uganda, or the DRC.
As Gary himself wrote on Africa Freedom Day, May 25, 2026: “It was an attack on Zambia’s cherished democratic soul — a direct assault on the rights and freedoms our mothers and fathers bled and died to secure.”
And I echo: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not dishonour others, it is not self seeking, it keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:4–5).
Or in Spanish: “La tolerancia es el mejor regalo de la democracia” — tolerance is democracy’s greatest gift.
The opposition is watching with glee. The only question is: who goes down first — Gary or HH?
By Amb. Anthony Mukwita, Author & Analyst
Note: Happy Africa Freedom Day Zambia. God bless Zambia. Smart Eagles Daily Revelation Newspaper Daily Nation Zambia
Leadership is Collective,and for one to think that Gary Nkombo, alone can rock the Boat, for the UPND,and,HH, is to have, a Chainama kind of Brain and a serious mental illness for that matter
If, Gary Nkombo ,thinks, he’s popular and bigger than the whole collective of the UPND,
Why didnt He prove that by, filing for an independent Presidential nomination
One, thing Nkombo must, know ,Mazabuka,is not his personal to holder intitlement,,he has served ,this long by the collective curtesy of the people of Mazabuka,and by their binding love for the Party UPND
No one can predict ,tommorow,and Garry might need the same UPND, Hand he’s bitting
,
Kenneth Kaund versus Simon Kapwepwe. Why did KK win that fight? Simple. He had the support of the majority of Zambians beyond the Northern regions. Kapwepwe won a seat in Mufulira, vacated for him. He did not ebven campaign there. When he won, he thought that the Zambian people were behind him. Wrong. Bemba speakers yes, but not Zambians. Gary will lose too will win in Mazabuka but Mazabuka is not Zambia. HH has the mandate from 2.8 million Zambians and that number has dramatically increased over the last 4 years. HH no longer needs Southern Province to win. He has won the heart of Kopala, Luapula, Muchinga and even Eastern Province. The thing with Easterners is that they are like a 20 ton truck. They take long to turn but once they turn, they do not return easily. Gary’s political career, once very promising, is now doomed.
This is the man most Zambians were hoping to succeed HH, but he has messed up himself big. I know that he wants a sympathy vote but even then, that’s not how a sympathy vote should be solicited for. Being attacked in politics is common and can happen to anyone including HH. HH himself was stoned in Chingola, now it’s Nkombo in Mazabuka. Let him move on, it happened to Lubinda, Sean Tembo etc.
