K180 mealie meal, 500, 000 Jobs, Socialist Party drops 5-year rescue plan
THE Socialist Party and People’s Party have unveiled their joint 2026–2031 manifesto, pitching a five year people-first rescue plan built on jobs, cheaper food, and energy independence.
Party Secretary General Dr Cosmas Musumali, delivered the policy highlights to the media, framing the alliance’s bid as the only plan that puts the Zambian household first.
Speaking when he unveiled the party’s manifesto ahead of the August 13 general election, Dr Musumali said job creation is a priority for Socialist Party as they target over 500,000 new jobs by the year 2031.
“We will create 500,000 new jobs in the next five years and we will do this through three main sectors which is agriculture, mining, and housing,” he said.
Dr Musumali argued that agriculture will drive employment through irrigation schemes and local agro-processing.
He also said mining jobs will come from forcing value addition instead of exporting raw ore.
Dr Musumali added that housing will absorb youth labour through a mass low-cost construction drive.
“We will make sure that a 25kg bag of mealie meal will be at K180 and the government will be monitoring from day one the milling costs, the transport costs, and the retail margins,” he added
To cut kitchen costs further, the alliance promised to remove tax from cooking oil.
“We will remove the tax from cooking oil so that the price of cooking oil comes down,” he said.
Further, Dr Musumali said no school, no hospital will run without Solar energy.
“From day one, no school can run without emergency solar power and no hospital can run without emergency solar power. We will make sure that every school has emergency solar panels installed and every hospital has emergency solar panels installed,” Dr Musumali said.
Dr Musumali stated that the plan positions solar as the emergency bridge while longer-term generation capacity is built.
He insisted that the installations would start immediately once they are elected.
The Socialist Party leader said agriculture is framed as the jobs engine, with promises of free inputs, irrigation, and storage to achieve food self-sufficiency.
He stated that the partnership between Socialist president Fred M’membe and running mate Dolika Banda is the party’s bet to bridge conviction and credibility.
M’membe, backed by the People’s Pact alliance, was formally announced as the alliance’s flag bearer with five vice-presidents including Bob Sichinga and Peter Sinkamba.
The SP ticket had its nominations validated by ECZ on May 20, 2026 and a Constitutional Court petition challenging Banda’s Grade 12 equivalency was dismissed days later.
Dr Musumali reaffirmed the party’s commitment to dismantle barriers limiting women’s political participation, calling the 2026 elections a critical test of Zambia’s commitment to gender equality.
By Sanfrossa Mberi
Kalemba June 25, 2026
As the election campaigns move into top gear, politicians are trying hard to outdo one another as to who can make the most outrageous promises. We have heard Mr. Mundubile promising students K5,000 per month as meal allowance. Where is he going to get the money to pay such a hefty allowance to students? Mind you, students are not producing anything to contribute to GDP. What is the average take home pay for the civil servant?
Now we have Dr. M’membe promising K180 per 25kg mealie meal. Is he going to grow maize in his backyard to feed the whole Zambia and DRC? How is he going to bring down the prices of inputs? Through regulation like he is suggesting for maize? How much is he going to pay the farmer for him to sell mealie meal at K180 per 25kg bag?
Those who, like me, lived through KK’s command economy know the devastating effect of trying to regulate the economy by unilaterally fixing the price. Eventually there will be little mealie meal on the market and the price difference will engender smuggling on a massive scale.
We saw this during the Kaunda days. If Dr. M’membe sells his mealie meal at K180 and it is fetching K1000 in DRC, people will risk their lives to smuggle the commodity into DRC and earn K820 per bag. Imagine that!
As far as mealie meal is concerned, Dr. M’membe should prepare not only an elaborate cost monitoring system (which in itself is absurd) but also an elaborate anti-smuggling system. We have been down this road before.
The solar panels for all hospitals and schools is another pie in the sky. How many schools and hospitals are in Zambia? What will be the cost of such an extensive project? Remember the solar hammer meals embarked on by the PF? Did they achieve the intended outcome? NO! Lots of money thrown down the drain and of course a few people got stinking rich through such PF scams.
The promises being made by most of these aspiring presidential candidates are unrealistic, unless of course they have some magic money stashed away somewhere. No wonder they don’t talk about how they will generate the income to actualise their promises.
A magician can grow maize for K180/25kg mealie meal
