Hakainde Hichilema

Hakainde Hichilema(born 4 June 1962) is a Zambian businessman, farmer, and politician who is the seventh and currentpresident of Zambiasince 24 August 2021.After having contested five previous elections in2006,2008,2011,2015and2016, he won the2021 presidential electionwith 59.02% of the vote.He has led theUnited Party for National Developmentsince 2006 following the death of the party founderAnderson Mazoka.
Prior to his election, Hichilema was a major opponent ofEdgar Lungu, the president of Zambia from 2015 to 2021. On 11 April 2017, Hichilema was arrested and charged withtreason, a move that was seen as an illegitimate act by Lungu to silence a political rival.The arrest and charge were widely condemned, with protests held in Zambia and abroad, demanding Hichilema's release and condemning the increasing authoritarianism of Lungu's regime. Hichilema was released from prison on 16 August 2017, and the charge of treason was dropped.
Hichilema was born in a village inMonze Districtin present-day Zambia. He received ascholarshipto study at theUniversity of Zambiaand graduated in 1986 with abachelor's degreeinEconomicsandBusiness Administration. He thereafter pursued anMBAinFinanceandBusiness Strategyat theUniversity of Birminghamin the United Kingdom.
He served as thechief executive officerof bothCoopers and Lybrand Zambia(1994–1998) andGrant Thornton Zambia(1998–2006).
Hichilema is a member of the rulingUnited Party for National Development, a liberalpolitical party. Following the death ofAnderson Mazokain 2006, he was elected as the party's new President. He also served as the leader of theUnited Democratic Alliance(UDA), an alliance of three opposition political parties.
In the2006 election, Hichilema was the candidate of the UDA and ran againstincumbentpresidentLevy Mwanawasaof theMovement for Multiparty DemocracyandPatriotic FrontcandidateMichael Sata. He received the endorsement of former PresidentKenneth Kaunda. The election was held on 28 September 2006 and Hichilema took third place with about 25% of the vote.
Hichilema ran as the UPND candidate in the2008 election, which was called following the death of President Levy Mwanawasa.He came 3rd with 19.7% of the vote. In June 2009, Hichilema's party, the UPND, formed a pact withMichael Sata's Patriotic Front (PF) to contest the2011 electiontogether. However, indecision on the pact candidate, deep mistrust, and accusations oftribalismfrom both sides resulted in the collapse of the pact in March 2011.
He was one of the two main candidates in theJanuary 2015 presidential election, which he lost by a narrow margin of 27,757 votes (1.66%) against the ruling party's candidate,Edgar Lungu. Hichilema denounced the election as ashamand urged his supporters to remain calm.He again faced Lungu as the main opposition candidate in theAugust 2016 presidential election, and was again narrowly defeated.
In April 2017, he was arrested on suspicion oftreasonand charged with attempting to overthrow the government.He was in prison for four months before being given anolle prosequi.
Hichilema was arrested on 11 April 2017.  On the night of 11 April 2017 theZambian Policebroke into Hichilema's compound to arrest the country's main opposition leader, ordered by PresidentEdgar Lungu's governmentand charged withtreasonafter he was accused ofendangeringthe president's life after hismotorcadeallegedly refused to give way to the one transporting Lungu,a case which many viewed as a minortraffic offenceand not one that could amount to treason. Hichilema strongly denied the charge, which carries a maximum sentence ofdeath penalty.
The police used excessive forceto enter Hichilema's residence damaging his home and property, beat up all his workers, stole money, jewellery, as well as underwear, shoes, speakers, blankets, carpets and food from the kitchen and defecated on Hichilema's bed.
Teargascanisterswere thrown inside Hichilema's homegassing Hichilema, his asthmatic wife, and his children, who collapsed several times due to inhaling the gas.
Hichilema said in an interview onHARDtalkthat during his time in prison he was held insolitary confinementfor eight days without food, water, light, or visitation, was tortured by having his penispepper sprayed, and accused President Lungu of having tried to kill him.
The arrest was the subject of the episode ofAl Jazeera'sThe StreamTV program titledIs Zambia's Democracy in Danger?,which aired on 30 May 2017.
Zambia's first presidentKenneth Kaundawas turned away by prison officials when he visited Hichilema in Prison.
Mmusi Maimane, leader of theDemocratic Alliance (South Africa)was also turned away byZambia Policewhen he came to Zambia to attend Hichilema's court appearance. He was not allowed to disembark from the plane, had his phone confiscated, and was roughed up.This prompted South Africa's Foreign Ministry to summon Zambia's Ambassador to South AfricaEmmanuel Mwambato explain the actions of the Zambian regime.
Former President ofNigeriaOlusegun Obasanjovisited Hichilema in prison.
Secretary General of theCommonwealth, BaronessPatricia Scotlandvisited Hichilema in prison twice.
While Hichilema was in jail, President Lungu imposed astate of emergency,a move critics saw as an effort to tighten his grip on power.
Hichilema's arrest was widely condemned. TheUnited States,theEuropean Unionand theEuropean Parliamentdenounced the arrest. TheAfrica Liberal Networkcondemned the arrest as an attempt by President Lungu to silence dissent and opposition.The Catholic bishops strongly condemned the arrest and said Zambia had become adictatorshipunder President Edgar Lungu.Julius Malema, the leader of South Africa's EFF party, accused Zambia's president Edgar Lungu ofapartheidstyle repression for detaining Hichilema on treason chargesand called president Lungu a "coward".Mmusi Maimane, the leader of South Africa's DA party, who was denied entry into Zambia to visit Hichilema in Jail(stopped from exiting the plane atLusaka'sKenneth Kaunda International Airport) strongly denounced the trumped up charges against Hichilema.
Protests broke out in Zambia, South Africaand theUnited Kingdomdemanding the release of Hichilema and condemning Edgar Lungu'sauthoritarianrule and deteriorating human rights in Zambia.
Celebrations took place throughout Zambia when Hichilema was released from prison on 16 August 2017 and scores of people lined up the roads of Lusaka to have a glimpse of Hichilema as his motorcade left prison.
Former UN Secretary GeneralKofi Annan, congratulated the Zambian authorities for dropping the treason charges against Hichilema and releasing him from prison.
Thanksgiving prayers were held to celebrate Hichilema's release from jail at theCathedral of Holy Crossin Lusaka on 29 August 2017 and Hichilema was present at the event which drew large crowds and was aired live on television. The event was originally scheduled to take place the previous week on 24 August but was blocked by heavily armed state police who sealed off the venue.
Hichilema became more popular after his release and was awarded the Africa Freedom Award inJohannesburg, South Africa. He was invited to speak at Chatham House in London and was also invited to speak in South Africa byDemocratic AllianceMembers of Parliament.
A book about Hichilema's time in a prison calledHakainde Hichilema's Prison Diarywas released on 29 September 2017 by journalist Fredrick Misebezi.Hichilema endorsed the book and urged the public to read it.
On 23 December 2020, Hichilema received a warning and caution at theZambian PoliceHeadquarters inLusakafor an alleged offence of "conspiracy to defraud contrary to section 313 of the Penal Code, Cap 87 of the Laws of Zambia", relating to the purchase of a property in 2004.As Hichilema arrived for questioning, police clashed withUPNDsupporters. In an attempt to disperse the crowd, police reportedly shot dead a State Prosecutor and a UPND supporter.
Hichilema ran for President for the sixth time in the election held on 12 August 2021. The electoral commission chairmanEsau Chuludeclared that he had won the election in the early hours of 16 August.
Following his victory, Hichilema declared his wish to appoint qualified Zambians into his administration. Among his appointments were those ofSylvia Masebo,Situmbeko Musokotwane, andJito Kayumba, among others.
Hichilema was featured on theBBCtelevision programHARDtalkon 1 November 2017 and was interviewed byStephen Sackur.He was the first Zambian opposition political leader to be hosted on HARDtalk and the third Zambian politician featured after former PresidentLevy Mwanawasaand former Vice-PresidentGuy Scott.
On 17 December 2017, Hichilema featured onZNBC's Sunday Interview, making him the first opposition political leader to be hosted on that program.This was after management at ZNBC had granted a request by the UPND through its spokesman, Charles Kakoma, who had written to ZNBC Director GeneralRichard Mwanzarequesting that Mr. Hichilema is featured on the Sunday Interview on 17 December.The program was prerecorded on a Thursday before at 10:30 and was aired on Sunday evening.
Hichilema was invited to speak atThe Royal Institute of International Affairs, commonly known as Chatham House, on 31 October 2017.He returned to Chatham House following his election as President, on 5 November 2021.
On 21 September 2022, Hichilema addressed the general debate of theSeventy-seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Hichilema is married toMutintaand has three children.He is a baptized member of theSeventh-day Adventist Churchand on 12 December 2020, he and his wife got invested asMaster Guidesin Lusaka.Hichilema is amillionaireand the second-largest cattlerancherin Zambia.
In December 2014, he denied being aFreemasonand labeled people accusing him as malicious.He also sued Bishop Edward Chomba of theEastern Orthodox Churchfordefamationafter the former called him aSatanistand a Freemason.
Hichilema was named in thePanama Papers, with the leak stating that he was the director ofBermuda-based company AfNat Resources Ltd from March to August 2006. The company engaged innickelexploration in Zambia and other African countries. According to theInternational Consortium of Investigative Journalists, "the company was listed on London's alternative investment market until 2010 when it was purchased by Canadian mining company Axmin for about $14 million."