Hichilema Mocks Mundubile's Fundraising Call, and Netizens Remind Him of His Own

President Hakainde Hichilema has poked fun at opposition NRPUP presidential candidate Brian Mundubile over a public appeal for campaign donations, only for social media users to quickly point out that Hichilema ran near-identical fundraising drives of his own in past elections.

Mundubile announced the fundraising initiative in a Facebook post on Saturday, describing it as a "people-driven campaign" and directing supporters to a dedicated website, Nrpupfundraising.com, where they could make voluntary contributions toward party activities.

The National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity said the funds would go toward campaign logistics in the final stretch before the 13 August election.

Hichilema responded early the following morning with a Facebook post mocking the appeal. "Ma first born ati, GoFundMe uko! Anyway, we have CDF for those who need financing! Bally," he wrote, suggesting Mundubile should instead look to the Constituency Development Fund rather than ask the public for money.

The jab quickly drew pushback online, with users noting that Hichilema had run comparable fundraising campaigns himself. Ahead of the 2016 election, Hichilema and the UPND raised campaign funds through a GoFundMe page managed by Ali Mweene.

In September 2015, he had also promoted a donation platform, HH-Zambia.com, urging supporters to spread the word that his campaign could now receive contributions. He renewed the approach in 2021 with a GoFundMe page titled "Hakainde Hichilema-2021 Presidential Fundraiser," which accepted small individual donations through the platform.

Mundubile's move places his campaign financing strategy alongside that of constitutional lawyer John Sangwa, who built his Movement for National Renewal candidacy around a similar citizen-funded model before withdrawing from the race earlier in the campaign.

The exchange comes with campaigning entering its final stretch, a period when presidential candidates typically shift from broad policy messaging to logistics-heavy operations covering transport, rally costs and get-out-the-vote efforts, all of which require sustained cash flow.