Africa-Press – Zambia. Patriotic Front presidential contender Makebi Zulu has placed energy at the centre of his 2026 pitch, promising to revive Zambia’s nuclear programme and immediately halt electricity exports if elected. His message is blunt: Zambia’s power crisis is a leadership failure, and PF knows how to fix it.
In a statement, Zulu argued that “Zambians have suffered for too long” under rolling blackouts, rising fuel costs, and soaring food prices. He described an economy strained by shuttered businesses, job losses, and household stress.
He linked connectivity disruptions and basic service instability directly to the energy squeeze, saying the crisis is not only about light but “about life and economic progress.”
Zulu accused the current administration of deflecting responsibility instead of providing solutions. He questioned whether those who once celebrated the “Dubai formula” and claimed to have ended load shedding in one year can now credibly ask citizens for patience.
His critique draws on public frustration, sharpened last week when President Hakainde Hichilema acknowledged government failure in addressing energy needs.
To distinguish PF’s plan, Zulu pledged an end to power exports, saying “power generated in Zambia must first benefit Zambians.” He committed to restarting the nuclear energy initiative shelved after the 2021 transition, arguing it has “the potential to transform the energy sector and ensure long-term stability.”
He pointed to the PF legacy of hydro expansion, citing Lunzuwa, Chishimba, Lusiwasi, Itezhi-Tezhi, Musonda, Kariba, and Kafue Gorge Lower as proof of capacity to build generation assets.
Behind the rhetoric sits a battle over credibility. PF governed during years of heavy infrastructure investment but left office amid debt strain and public mistrust. The UPND inherited constrained fiscal space and climate-driven hydropower pressure, yet its promise to diversify and stabilise supply has lagged. Both narratives are now on trial before voters.
Zulu’s nuclear promise marks a strategic escalation in the campaign narrative. It plays to industrial ambition, national pride, and voter fatigue with cyclical power shortages. It also raises practical questions about financing, timelines, technical readiness and international regulatory coordination.
Nuclear is long-horizon power; Zambia’s pain is immediate.
Zulu says the time has come “to restore power not only to the grid but to the people.” The political voltage around energy is rising fast. As winter approaches and outages persist, this is no longer a policy debate.
It is the battleground on which trust, opportunity and authority will be contested.
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