Patriotic Front Chairperson for Information and Publicity Raphel Nakacinda says it took his party almost 10 years of being in government to become arrogant unlike UPND who have become pompous too quick.

And Nakacinda has projected that the prices of mealie meal prices are likely to surge to K500 per 25Kg bag without intervention from government.

In an interview, Wednesday, Nakacinda said it was amazing that UPND had become arrogant too early in office, adding that at least it took PF almost 10 years to “start losing it”.

“It is amazing the UPND have become arrogant too early into government. At least for Patriotic Front, maybe we may have started losing it 10 years down the line but for them, they are already intoxicated with the privilege of being in government. Within just months and when you hear the sentiments that are coming from their cadres, sentiments that are coming from government officials; you can see that these are people who are already intoxicated with being in government. And that level of arrogance is a sure way, sure passage for them to leave government in 2026,” Nakacinda said.

And Nakacinda projected that mealie meal prices could hit K500 without proper intervention.

“We will definitely reach K300 if not K500 per 25Kg bag as far as we are concerned. And I have seen this government, it will be disaster after disaster in every sector as we continue to march towards 2026. Now under the President Hakainde government, everybody is biting their tongue when speaking because there is an eminent disaster looming when it comes to the price of basic commodities, worst still the staple food which is mealie meal because the management of the agriculture sector in this season has been disaster. And therefore, we don’t expect a good yield and also even the management of the bumper harvest that Patriotic Front left was also disaster. Most of the maize that the farmers produced has gone to waste; some of it was obviously not bought,” Nakacinda said.

Meanwhile, commenting on Millers Association of Zambia president Andrew Chintala’s remarks that people should buy other brands of mealie-meal if their preferred ones have been hiked beyond their spending capacity, Nakacinda described such remarks as ridiculous.

“So food security in this country is eminently under threat. So the comment from the millers association is purely emanating from a tongue twisted government because they can’t say anything that is hopeful. They have to say such a ridiculous thing of suggesting that you go for what is cheaper; there is nothing that is going to be cheaper. Everything is going to be expensive. So it is amazing that they could even begin to be selective of which brand of mealie meal that people should buy and suggest that there is going to be cheaper, there is nothing that is going to be cheaper,” Nakachinda said.

He urged the people of Kabwata to speak on behalf of Zambians against price increments through their vote.

“While we are campaigning in Kabwata, we are reminding the people of Kabwata on behalf of the people of Zambia that they have a duty, through the vote, to speak against the surging of prices or the high prices of mealie meal, the high prices of fuel, the high prices of electricity and other important ingredients for the economic activities that are expected to help them into their welfare which each and every one of them the UPND have abrogated their promise. And that is basically the message we are taking to Kabwata on behalf of the Zambian people and we will continue to remind the Zambians of the promises of the UPND and how the UPND have used deceit and lies to get into government. They have conned their way into government,” said Nakacinda.