The announcement came first; the backlash was never far behind. A day after Secretary to the Cabinet Patrick Kangwa confirmed that 18 October will no longer be observed as a public holiday, Reverend Godfridah Sumaili — the former National Guidance and Religious Affairs minister — condemned the decision as a betrayal.
The cancellation of the 18th October National Day of Prayer, Fasting and Reconciliation by government in consultation with some church mother bodies is a serious betrayal to Zambian Christian believers.
— Reverend Godfridah Sumaili, quoted by Lusaka Times
Mr Kangwa's statement said the change followed consultations between the Government and the Church Mother Bodies. It revokes Statutory Instrument No. 78 of 2015, which made 18 October an annual public holiday, and replaces it with Statutory Instrument No. 73 of 2026, declaring 29 December a public holiday to be known as the National Day of Prayer and Christian Heritage. The first combined commemoration falls on 29 December this year.
Rev Sumaili rejected both the decision and the process. "We do not know who those church mother body leaders consulted, which is why Zambia's identity, values and aspirations have been taken away," she said, arguing the Government should have acted with the utmost responsibility on a matter of such public interest.
Her core objection is theological. The October day, she said, was a solemn occasion of repentance, fasting and seeking forgiveness, while 29 December celebrates the declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation. "I am wondering how a day of weeping and repentance could be combined with a day of celebration. This move shows a lack of spiritual understanding by those involved," she said, urging citizens to condemn the decision.
The Church Mother Bodies see it differently. In a joint statement on Thursday, carried by Mwebantu, they said the consolidation will strengthen the observance, placing it strategically between Christmas and New Year to allow wider participation. The statement that announced the change did not name the bodies consulted or detail what the merged commemoration will involve.
The merger formalises an announcement President Hichilema made in December 2025, at the 34th anniversary of the 1991 declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation by the late President Frederick Chiluba — that 29 December would become a permanent public holiday from 2026. The October day was itself created in 2015 under former President Edgar Lungu, after a call for national prayers over economic challenges, and has been marked annually with inter-denominational services at the Lusaka Showgrounds and across the country.
This year, 18 October falls on a Sunday. Zambians can still pray for the nation through regular church services, but it will otherwise be a normal day — and the official holiday now belongs to December.
Sources: Lusaka Times, ““Govt Has Betrayed Christians,” Sumaili Says As October 18 Holiday Ends” (10 Oct 2026); Mwebantu, “18th October, 2026 will not be observed as a Public Holiday says Government” (10 Oct 2026).