HH STRUGGLED TO MANAGE OLDER UPND MPs

Renowned Zambian lawyer, author, and political commentator Dickson Jere has released a compelling review of President Hakainde Hichilema's newly published memoir, 'You Can't Share Poverty'. Published by Penguin Books South Africa, the 187-page book provides a rare, firsthand account of the political journey, ideological struggles, and leadership trials that characterized Hichilema's path to Zambia's highest office. Among the most striking revelations in Jere's review is the detailed insight into the internal friction Hichilema encountered while attempting to helm the United Party for National Development (UPND) and manage older, entrenched party veterans. According to Jere's analysis of the text, Hichilema faced profound governance and organizational hurdles within his own political camp long before ascending to the presidency in August 2021. Balancing the ambitions, traditional loyalty, and political expectations of veteran UPND members with the modernizing, technocratic vision of leadership that Hichilema sought to project was no small feat. The book outlines how generational shifts and clashing political styles tested party cohesion, forcing the opposition leader to navigate delicate internal power dynamics while simultaneously mounting robust campaigns against the ruling establishment of the day. Jere notes that the memoir serves not only as a personal political diary but also as a broader manual on political resilience, economic philosophy, and organizational management in emerging democracies. The title itself, 'You Can't Share Poverty', encapsulates Hichilema's core neoliberal economic conviction that wealth creation must precede redistribution—a philosophy that often sparked intense debate both outside and inside party ranks. Veterans accustomed to socialist-leaning populist rhetorics sometimes clashed with Hichilema's rigid, corporate-oriented approach to economic recovery and party administration. The publication of this memoir by a major international