The realignment of ministries went through Parliament in a day, but the argument about it filled Tuesday. The Chapter One Foundation, in remarks by its executive director Josiah Kalala to Phoenix News and carried by the Zambian Observer, urged MPs to exercise independent judgment rather than simply approve the President's request. Reorganising ministries, Kalala argued, can be costly and disruptive, and merging them does not of itself make government more efficient; Parliament should test whether the changes are necessary, evidence-based, financially justified and in the public interest. In the same report Isaac Mwanza, described as a governance expert, welcomed the President's decision to seek parliamentary approval, describing the move as an attempt to activate the growth agenda, and noted that the Constitution fixes the number of ministries, which cannot be exceeded.
Brian Mushimba, president of the Organized People's Party, said the country needs consolidation rather than higher spending, and that government should deliver results with fewer layers of administration rather than adding ministries, offices and bureaucracy at the start of the Grow Zambia Agenda. "How do we make government more effective and less expensive without compromising service delivery?" he asked, in remarks carried by the Zambian Observer.
The activist Laura Miti questioned the priorities behind new ministries for Petroleum, Industry and Culture at a time when, she said, the Constituency Development Fund is reportedly facing cuts and the Food Reserve Agency cannot buy all the maize farmers offer. "I am surprised there is no Ministry of Ministers," she said, asking how the rural voters who returned the government to office would benefit. Citizens First, through its spokesperson Stanley Mhango, tied the structure to the budget: a budget prepared without line ministers, the party argued, raises questions of collective responsibility under Article 116 of the Constitution.
The case for the portfolios
The fullest reply came from Sunday Chanda, in an open letter to Miti published by the Zambian Observer. On Petroleum, he argued that the ministry's job is fuel security, supply, storage and pricing, rather than finding oil, and that Zambia spends more than US$2 billion a year on fuel imports. On Housing, he said the existing infrastructure ministry has in practice meant roads and bridges while the housing deficit runs past two million units. On Industry, he argued the point is to process copper, soya and sugar inside Zambia rather than export them raw. On Culture, he said the sector had been starved of funding while sharing a ministry with football, and that events such as Kuomboka and Likumbi Lya Mize drive tourism. "Don't judge by names. Judge by the first 90 days," he wrote, while also saying Parliament should scrutinise the cost of 30 ministries.
Greyford Monde, in a statement published by the same outlet, made the case for a stand-alone Ministry of Electricity, citing a World Bank estimate that mining accounts for roughly half of Zambia's electricity consumption and pointing to countries with dedicated electricity ministries or mandates, among them Egypt, Ghana, India and South Africa, which appointed a minister responsible for electricity in 2023. "Zambia cannot build a modern industrial economy on an unreliable power supply," he said, arguing the ministry should be judged on outcomes such as round-the-clock household supply and reliable power for mines and industry.
The Zambian Observer's own analysis, written by Ollus Ndomu for The People's Brief, put the realignment alongside the enlarged Parliament, whose constituency seats rose from 156 to 226 with 40 proportional-representation seats added, and whose budget the piece puts at about K1.58 billion this year. It argued that the documents describe how responsibilities would be divided but do not show that the splits would work better, and recommended that Parliament demand a clear statement of the problems, the projected costs and the expected benefits before approving. The House approved the motion the same day.
Sources: The Zambian Observer, “Chapter One Foundation calls for thorough parliamentary scrutiny on proposed ministry realignment” (27 Oct 2026); The Zambian Observer, “Mushimba questions proposed Cabinet expansion” (27 Oct 2026); The Zambian Observer, “Hichilema disappoints Laura Miti on proposed new ministries” (27 Oct 2026); The Zambian Observer, “CF calls for postponement of budget presentation” (27 Oct 2026); The Zambian Observer, “Dearest Laura Miti, I hear you – but let me explain why Petroleum, Housing, Industry and Culture are not jokes (Sunday Chanda)” (27 Oct 2026); The Zambian Observer, “Look beyond the politics: why Zambia needs a dedicated Ministry of Electricity (Greyford Monde)” (27 Oct 2026); The Zambian Observer, “A Bigger Parliament, More Ministries: At What Cost?” (27 Oct 2026); Open Zambia, “Thirty Ministries Proposed in Hichilema's Government Realignment” (27 Oct 2026).