Hakainde Hichilema

Wife

Hakainde Hichilema is married to Mutinta Hichilema.

Children

Hichilema and his wife Mutinta have three children together.^[1] The children are:

• Chikonka Hichilema
• Miyanda Hichilema
• Habwela Hichilema

Hakainde Hichilema is reported to have a secret daughter named Chichi.

Religion

Hakainde Hichilema is a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church where he said he was a church elder. He denied assertions by Bishop Edward Chomba who said he was a Mason and a Satanist.^[2]

Hichilema sued Bishop Edward Chomba for defamation of character. He took Chomba to court for openly calling him a Satanist and freemason who will devour the children once elected President.^[3]

Education

He holds a BA in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Zambia. Hichilema received a scholarship to study at the University of Zambia. He also holds an MBA in Finance and Business Strategy from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom.^[4]

Businesses

Hichilema is known for being Zambia's second-largest cattle rancher.^[1]

Career

Hakainde Hichilema served as Chief Executive Officer of Coopers and Lybrand and later Grant Thornton for 12 years, companies he formerly co-owned. He has chaired several international conferences among them the Zambia Investment Opportunities Conference organized by the Financial Times of the United Kingdom held in London in May 1996 and a similar one was held in Lusaka, Zambia in 1997.

Hichilema is a member of the Institute of Directors for Zambia. He has served/serves on numerous boards of corporate entities including:

• Chairman of the Board of Directors – Barclays Bank Zambia Plc.

• Chairman of the Board of Directors – Sun International (Z) Ltd

• First Chairman of the Board of Directors, Africa Trade Insurance (ATI) a multilateral Pan African organization based in Kenya.

• Chairman – Greenbelt Fertilizers Limited

• Chairman – Media Trust Fund

• Chairman – Export Development Programme II

• Director – Zambia Investment Limited

• Director – Seedco Zambia Limited

• Director – African Life Financial Services

• Director – Zambezi Nickel (Bermuda) Limited

• Director – Westlake Investment Ltd. (Mauritius)

• Board Member – Zambia Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ZACCI)

• Member – Zambia Business Forum

• Served for seven years on the Coopers & Lybrand’s Africa Governing Board

• Served on Coopers & Lybrand’s International’s Governance Committee

• Served as Non-Executive Director – Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (Smelterco) Limited

• Served on boards of eight other companies^[4]

Political Career

Hakainde Hichilema was elected the president of the United Party for National Development following the death of Anderson Mazoka in 2006. Hichilema also served as the president of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), an alliance of three opposition political parties.

2006 Election

In the 2006 election, Hichilema was the candidate of the UDA and ran against Levy Mwanawasa of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy and Patriotic Front candidate Michael Sata. Hakainde Hichile

ma received the endorsement of former President Kenneth Kaunda. The election was held on 28 September 2006 and Hichilema took third place with about 25% of the vote.

2008 Election

Hichilema ran as the UPND candidate in the 2008 election, which was called following the death of President Levy Mwanawasa. He came 3rd with 19.7% of the vote

2011 Election

In June 2009, Hichilema's party, the UPND, formed a pact with Michael Sata's Patriotic Front (PF) to contest the 2011 election together. However, indecision on the pact candidate, deep mistrust and accusations of tribalism from both sides resulted in the collapse of the pact in March 2011.

2015 Election

He was one of the two main candidates in the January 2015 presidential election, which he lost by a narrow margin of just 27,757 votes (1.66%) against the ruling party's candidate, Edgar Lungu. Hichilema denounced the election as a sham and urged his supporters to remain calm.

2016 Election

Hichilema again faced Lungu as the main opposition candidate in the August 2016 presidential election and was again narrowly defeated.

2021 Election

Hachilema took an early lead in Zambia's presidential election over incumbent Edgar Lungu according to the first results from the electoral commission on Saturday 14 August 2021.^[5]

On 14 August 2021, Lungu issued a statement rejecting the results that were being announced by the Electoral Commission of Zambia, saying that the elections were not free and fair. He added that the general election in three provinces, namely; Southern Province, North Western Province, and Western Province were characterized by violence, rendering the whole exercise nullity.^[6]

In response, Hichilema's United Party for National Development said the statement was the "desperate final act of an outgoing administration".

Hakainde Hachilema was declared the winner by Zambia's electoral commission. He beat Lungu by more than a million votes.

In its final tally, the electoral commission said Hichilema had won 2,810,777 votes to Lungu's 1,814,201. There were seven million registered voters. The landslide win meant Hichilema would not have to fight a run-off contest.^[7]

Arrest For Treason

On 11 April 2017, Hakainde Hichilema was arrested and accused of endangering the president's life after his motorcade allegedly refused to give way to the one transporting Lungu. Hichilema was due to stand trial but instead walked free from Lusaka's high court after 100 days in custody.

Sources said the charges against Hichilema and five aides were dropped after a deal was negotiated by the Commonwealth. Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland was in Zambia in August 2017 and met Lungu and Hichilema.

She later hinted Mr Hichilema could be released in the public interest.^[8]

2020 Arrest

In 2020, Hakainde Hichilema was arrested for an offence that took place on an unknown date in 2004. Hichilema was accused of conspiracy to defraud contrary to section 313 of the Penal Code, Cap 87 of the Laws of Zambia.

It is alleged that Hichilema introduced himself as a community worker based in Lusaka whilst acting together with other unknown persons, fraudulently purchased a property, Sub-division “A” of farm number 1924 in Kalomo district belonging to the late Samson Siatembo, purporting that at the time of purchase, the Administrator of the property in question consented to the sale by appending her signature when in fact not.

Hichilema was released after being warned and cautioned by the police.^[9]

References