By Brian Matambo | Lusaka 

The constitution-making process has once again become a national flashpoint as the government pushes ahead with Bill 7, a move critics say is engineered to consolidate political control rather than respond to public expectations. Speaking on Millennium Radio, PF presidential aspirant Makebi Zulu warned that the current process risks producing a constitution designed by the government instead of the people whose lives it governs. 

Makebi Zulu anchored his criticism on the preamble of the Constitution which states that the supreme law is given by the people to themselves. He argued that the government has inverted this principle by handing the technical committee strict terms of reference that already dictate the intended outcomes. According to Makebi Zulu, this turns what should be an open and participatory process into a controlled exercise with little genuine space for public influence. 

Makebi Zulu stated that some members of the technical committee have privately expressed frustration that they cannot add or modify anything outside the government’s instruction. He noted that if commissioners feel unable to operate independently, they should step aside rather than lend legitimacy to a process that limits them to rubber-stamping predetermined positions. 

Central to Makebi Zulu’s concern is the push to create new constituencies. He questioned why the government is prioritising electoral boundary changes at a time when citizens are battling load shedding, rising food prices, agricultural mismanagement and widespread unemployment. In his view, the urgency behind adding new constituencies reveals political calculations rather than national necessity. 

Makebi Zulu also criticised the secrecy around the proposed constituencies. He argued that if the process were honest, the government would have published the list openly for public scrutiny. Instead, the silence has fuelled suspicion that the adjustments may favour the ruling party ahead of the 2026 general elections. 

He reminded listeners that when Bill 10 was rejected in 2020, the UPND praised the Catholic bishops for protecting the Constitution. Today, the same voices raising concerns over Bill 7 face harassment. Makebi Zulu pointed to the summoning of Archbishop Chama by police for supporting a peaceful march as evidence that the government is conflating public dissent with violence. 

According to Makebi Zulu, peaceful protest is a constitutional right and not an act of provocation. Citizens, he said, must be allowed to speak freely about the country’s governance, especially when the amendments concern the rules that shape future elections and political leadership. 

Makebi Zulu argued that trust is at the heart of any successful constitutional reform. He stressed that amendments should emerge from transparency, consensus, and national participation rather than political manoeuvring. In his view, the government should focus on resolving urgent national challenges such as the failing energy sector, rising cost of living and collapsing agricultural support systems instead of advancing constitutional changes that many citizens view with suspicion. 

As Bill 7 moves forward, the debate is expected to intensify. But Makebi Zulu’s warning is clear. A constitution made without public confidence risks becoming a source of instability rather than a foundation for stronger governance.