Profiles In Leadership: Hakainde Hichilema

Hakainde Hichilema, otherwise known as HH or Bally, was born in a village in Monze district, Southern province on June 4th 1962. He grew up in a family of modest means, living in a grass-thatched house and looking after cattle in the village. As a youth he attended Kaloma Secondary School, barefoot, where he studied hard and achieved top results.

After school HH went on to the University of Zambia, where he studied Economics and Business Administration on a full government bursary. He graduated with bachelor’s degree in 1986 before going to do a MBA in Finance and Business Strategy at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. 

Business Tycoon

HH is well known as a businessman and entrepreneur. After leaving university he worked hard and was eventually appointed CEO of professional services firm Coopers Lybrand Zambia (now Pricewaterhouse Coopers) in 1994. In 1998 he moved to Grant Thornton Zambia, where he again served as CEO until 2006. 

Having grown up in a cattle-farming community, HH never forgot his roots and turned his hard earned expertise into financial success. He currently owns over 70 cattle ranches across Zambia, looking after 700,000 animals. He is also the largest shareholder in Zambeef, Zambia’s largest beef producer. The company also produces milk, chicken, eggs, leather and shoes. 

HH is the second largest cattle rancher in Zambia

Rising Political Star

In 2006, Hichilema decided to pursue a life of public service. That year he was appointed president of the United Party for National Development, following the death of long-time leader Anderson Mazoka. Running as the presidential candidate for the multi-party United Democratic Alliance, Hichilema came third and secured 25% of the national vote. His candidacy was endorsed by founding president Kenneth Kaunda. 

HH has run for president four more times since 2006, each time increasing his party’s share of the vote. In the 2015 presidential election, he lost to Edgar Lungu by just 27,000 votes or 1.66%. In 2016 he lost again by a similarly small margin. 

While in opposition, Hichilema has been a dedicated defender of democracy and the rule of law in Zambia. In October 2020, his party, the UPND, recorded a major win by preventing the government from passing the controversial Bill 10. The bill was widely condemned by civil society organisations for granting the government near-dictatorial powers, including allowing ministers to stay in office during elections and empowering the president to contract debt without consulting parliament.  

HH grew up in a grass thatched house in Monze. As a child, he went to school barefoot.

Arrest, Incarceration, Redemption

Sadly, HH is perhaps best known for his unjust and inhumane imprisonment following the 2016 election. On 17th April 2017, police officers, acting on the orders of President Lungu, stormed HH’s home and arrested him before ransacking his possessions and beating up his family and staff. The officers reportedly teargassed his asthmatic wife and children before stealing large quantities of money, clothes and jewellery. 

After this, HH spent 127 days in prison, where he says he was routinely mistreated and tortured. He spent eight days in solitary confinement, without food, water or light and was denied visitation by either his wife or former president Kenneth Kaunda. 

HH’s imprisonment was strongly condemned by the United States, the European Union and the Conference of Catholic Bishops, who accused President Lungu of turning Zambia into a dictatorship by locking up his political rival. HH was eventually released on 16th August 2017 after a visit to Zambia by Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland. 

Following his arrest, HH was commended by the international community and invited to speak at both the prestigious Chatham House in London and the South African parliament in Cape Town. 

HH was freed from his false imprisonment after international condemnation against President Lungu’s regime

Personal Life 

HH married his wife Mutinta in 1988. Together they have three children and live in Lusaka. He is a very devout Christian and a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. He believes passionately in public service and has devoted much of his time to community projects, including the building of clinics, schools, dams and boreholes. He also founded a cultural fund that finances the revival of traditional ceremonies in Zambia.