The Editor Zambia
There comes a point when political criticism stops being about holding government accountable and becomes a contest between political obsession and reality.
For Emmanuel Mwamba, that point appears to have arrived in the United Arab Emirates. 
Mwamba, a shameless former diplomat who now operates from outside Zambia, has made a habit of publishing commentary portraying the country and its leadership in the darkest possible colours.
His latest attempt to cast doubt on President Hakainde Hichilema’s whereabouts, however, has collided rather spectacularly with facts on the ground.
The problem for Mwamba is that reality has refused to cooperate with his narrative.
The Zambian Government announced that President Hichilema would undertake an official working visit to the United Arab Emirates from September 29 to 30 at the invitation of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The purpose of the visit includes bilateral discussions, investment promotion, and business engagements under the Grow Zambia Agenda.
Then came the inconvenient evidence: President Hichilema arrived in Abu Dhabi.
Zambian media independently reported the President’s arrival, with Prime TV and Mwebantu reporting from the UAE that indeed President Hichilema had arrived safely in Abu Dhabi for the two-day working visit.
The ZNBC and other Zambian media outlets likewise carried the story. So, what exactly was Mwamba trying to achieve by suggesting otherwise?
Does he now acknowledge that he was wrong? Will he withdraw the claim? Will he apologise to the people who believed him? Or will he simply move on to another allegation and hope that the public forgets?
That is the problem with a political commentator who continually presents suspicion as fact. Eventually, facts catch up.
Mwamba is entitled to criticise President Hichilema. He is entitled to oppose the UPND. He is entitled to question government policy. That is what political freedom is about. But there is a fundamental difference between legitimate criticism and repeatedly presenting unverified claims as established truth.
The distinction matters even more because Mwamba is not an ordinary social-media commentator. He is a former diplomat who has occupied senior public positions.
Such a background should come with an appreciation of the importance of verification, accuracy, and national interest.
Instead, his public commentary has increasingly become an exercise in painting Zambia as a country in perpetual crisis.
His own media platform remains filled with material attacking the government and questioning virtually every major political development.
Recent programmes have included claims of a constitutional crisis, an “illegitimate term” for President Hichilema, and allegations surrounding post-election developments.
That is his political choice. But when the facts contradict the narrative, the responsible thing is to admit it.
There is another unresolved chapter that Mwamba himself cannot simply wish away: the questions surrounding his proximity to former President Frederick Chiluba at the time of Chiluba’s death.
Dr. Nevers Mumba publicly challenged Mwamba in January 2026 to explain what he knew about the circumstances surrounding Chiluba’s death and why he subsequently received appointments under then President Michael Sata.
A man who insists on interrogating the motives, conduct, and integrity of public officials must also be prepared to answer questions about his own public record.
Zambia does not need political commentators who believe their credibility is beyond scrutiny. It needs a culture in which those who make serious claims are prepared to substantiate them.
The UAE episode, therefore, offers Mwamba a simple opportunity: correct the record.
President Hichilema is in Abu Dhabi. The government said he would be there. Zambian media reported his arrival. The evidence is public.
Mwamba’s credibility is his responsibility.
And when a claim collapses under the weight of readily available evidence, the decent thing to do is not to manufacture another explanation. It is to say: I got it wrong.
