GUEST ARTICLE: PROTECT THE GAINS VS. MAKE LIFE AFFORDABLE AGAIN
By Gegory Kafula Mofu
As Zambia heads towards the 2026 General Election, political parties are beginning to settle on the messages they will take to the people. Every election has its defining slogan. The best political messages are not necessarily the longest or the most complicated but they are the simplest. They capture what people are feeling and what they hope for.
Before I go any further, let me make one thing clear. I am neither supporting the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) nor the opposition National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) led by Hon. Brian Mundubile because of my work committments. This is simply how I think each side could package its message if the objective is to connect with the ordinary Zambian.
If I were sitting in the UPND campaign strategy room today, I would propose one simple message:
Protect the Gains
When the UPND formed Government in 2021, Zambia was in a difficult place economically. The pandemic had slowed economies across the world, businesses were struggling, government finances were under pressure, and Zambia had already defaulted on its Eurobond debt repayments. Investor confidence had fallen and the country’s economic outlook was uncertain.
Five years later, the UPND can legitimately point to a number of achievements. The country has successfully restructured much of its debt, foreign reserves have reportedly grown to around US$6.5 billion, inflation has fallen into single digits, and investor confidence appears to have improved, with increased interest from foreign investors.
Whether one believes these achievements have translated into better living standards is a different debate. But politically, these are achievements that the ruling party can confidently present to the electorate.
That is why I believe “Protect the Gains” would be an effective campaign message.
It is simple.
It tells voters, “We inherited a struggling economy. We have stabilised it. We have rebuilt confidence. Don’t reverse the progress we have made.”
That is a message people can easily understand.
Now, if I walked across the corridor and found myself in the Tonse Pamodzi Alliance campaign team led by Hon. Brian Mundubile, my advice would be completely different.
My campaign message would be:
Make Life Affordable Again!!
Why?
Because elections are rarely won on economic statistics.
They are won on how people feel.
Government can point to healthy foreign reserves and single-digit inflation, but when an ordinary citizen walks into a grocery shop, boards a bus, buys mealie meal or pays school fees, they are asking themselves a much simpler question:
“Is my life better today than it was five years ago?”
That is the question that decides elections.
Many Zambians acknowledge that some macroeconomic indicators have improved. But they also know that the cost of living remains painfully high. Prices of essential goods and services have increased, and many households feel that their salaries and businesses simply do not stretch as far as they used to.
That is where “Make Life Affordable Again” becomes a powerful political message.
It doesn’t argue about debt restructuring.
It doesn’t debate foreign reserves.
Instead, it speaks directly to what every family experiences every single day.
It says:
“Yes, the economy may be improving on paper. But our focus is making sure that improvement is reflected in your home, your business and your pocket. We want life to become affordable again.”
I believe many people would easily relate to that message because affordability affects everyone regardless of political affiliation.
The opposition also has another advantage if it chooses this approach.
The Tonse Pamodzi Alliance is not made up of one political party alone. It brings together experienced leaders from different political parties, civil society organisations and professionals, including people who served under both the MMD and PF administrations.
Supporters of the Alliance are likely to argue that during many of those years, the cost of living was lower than it is today and that the experience within the Alliance can be used to develop policies that ease the financial pressure currently facing ordinary households.
Whether one agrees with that argument or not, it is a message that many voters would be willing to listen to.
Ultimately, I believe the 2026 election could boil down to two competing narratives.
The UPND will most likely say:
Protect the Gains.
The opposition will likely say:
Make Life Affordable Again.
Neither message is necessarily wrong.
One asks voters to safeguard the country’s macroeconomic progress.
The other asks them to judge the economy by what they can afford at the market, at the filling station and around the family dining table.
In the end, elections are not won by economists.
They are won by ordinary people.
And ordinary people do not vote using graphs, inflation figures or reserve statistics.
They vote based on how life feels.
Which ever political party succeeds in convincing Zambians that it understands that reality will have a significant advantage when the country heads to the polls in 2026.
