By EditorZambia
PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema has always possessed a rare political currency that many leaders struggle to command: genuine resonance with the youth.
Long before he ascended to State House, and even now as Head of State, President Hichilema has demonstrated an uncanny ability to connect with young people in ways that transcend political cycles, propaganda and petty accusations. 
During his years in opposition, President Hichilema did not retreat into elite boardrooms or insulated party structures. He met young people where they were. On social media platforms, he responded directly to students, entrepreneurs, and first-time voters. He visited campuses, addressed youth forums, and held meetings that allowed young citizens to ask uncomfortable questions. At a time when many seasoned politicians dismissed social media as a playground for idle chatter, President Hichilema recognised it as a democratic space where young voices demanded to be heard.
It is no coincidence that youths themselves coined the nickname ‘Bally’ for him, a term meaning father. That was not a branding exercise manufactured in a public relations office. It was organic. It was spontaneous. It reflected how many young people saw him: firm yet approachable, disciplined yet willing to listen. The countless selfies circulating online of students posing with him are not staged propaganda pieces. They are visual testimony to a relationship built over years of interaction.
Even now, as President, that connection has not evaporated under the weight of power. If anything, it has deepened. Young people continue to gravitate towards him at public events, sometimes overwhelming security details in their eagerness to greet him. The recent controversy surrounding his visit to Northern Technical College (NORTEC) has done little to dent that reality.
Education Minister Douglas Syakalima was unequivocal in dismissing claims that students were paid to attend the event linked to the President. According to the Minister, no allowances or financial inducements were authorised. Institutional guidelines are clear.
Students are not to be mobilised through cash handouts for political or ceremonial purposes. Participation, he stated, was voluntary and organised through normal channels.
Those making allegations that money exchanged hands have yet to produce credible evidence. Logistical arrangements such as transport coordination were twisted into insinuations of bribery. That leap of logic does not hold water. In large-scale events involving thousands of students, coordination is inevitable. To confuse that with cash inducement is either ignorance or deliberate mischief.
NORTEC Principal Martin Kasonso further clarified that nearly 3,000 students travelled from Ndola to Kitwe for the engagement. Processing allowances for such a number naturally takes time. The isolated incidents of disorder later amplified on social media were attributed to misinformation that allowances would not be paid, not to any confirmed bribery scheme. Yet critics were quick to weaponise incomplete videos as proof of wrongdoing.
What detractors fail to grasp is a simple political truth: President Hichilema does not need to pay young people to show up. His political journey has been intertwined with youth aspirations for years. From job creation promises to education reform and entrepreneurship support, his messaging has consistently targeted the concerns of a generation seeking opportunity and stability.
Youths are not political infants to be herded by coins. They are discerning. They debate policies online. They critique leaders openly. They endorse or reject politicians based on perceived authenticity. The idea that thousands would gather merely because of envelopes changing hands is not only insulting to them but dismissive of their agency.
In fact, the pattern suggests the opposite dynamic. It is young people who actively seek proximity to the President. Whether in markets, campuses, or airport terminals, they reach for their phones to capture moments with him. Those selfies are more than casual snapshots. They are endorsements in pixels.
Critics may scoff, but political chemistry cannot be fabricated overnight. It is cultivated over time. President Hichilema’s years in opposition allowed him to build rapport without the trappings of State power. That groundwork explains why, even in office, he retains a strong youth following.
The NORTEC episode should, therefore, be viewed through a sober lens. Allegations without substantiation risk undermining institutions and trivialising the political maturity of Zambia’s young citizens. Minister Syakalima’s clarification reinforces an important principle: engagement between national leaders and students is not inherently political manipulation. It can also be civic exposure and democratic interaction.
As the country approaches the August polls, the youth factor will remain decisive. But if history is any guide, President Hichilema’s connection with young people is not a sudden election season romance. It is a relationship forged in opposition trenches, sustained in power and affirmed daily in the thousands of images and interactions that tell a story critics cannot easily erase.
