Zambia's Authoritarian Practices Becoming Entrenched, Chapter One Foundation Warns After WJP Index

By Pauline Ngozoh

Chapter One Foundation has noted with concern the findings of the 2026 World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index, which indicate a further deterioration in Zambia's adherence to the rule of law.

In a press statement issued by Executive Director Josiah Kalala, the organisation says of particular concern is the finding that authoritarian practices are no longer merely an emerging threat but are becoming entrenched.

According to the Index, Zambia is expressly identified among countries that have experienced a sustained five-year decline in at least one of three fundamental safeguards against authoritarian rule: constraints on government powers, open government and fundamental rights. This, the statement notes, is accompanied by documented deterioration in freedom of expression, assembly, association, and civic participation, as well as declining effectiveness of judicial constraints on government power.

The Index ranks Zambia 121st globally and 25th out of 34 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa on fundamental rights. Chapter One states this is particularly concerning because freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association and civic participation are essential mechanisms through which citizens scrutinise public authority and demand accountability. Their continued deterioration weakens citizens' ability to hold those exercising public power to account.

Equally concerning, the Foundation says, is the finding that Zambia has seen a decline in the extent to which the judiciary effectively limits government powers. It notes that judicial independence and effective constitutional checks and balances are indispensable to preventing arbitrary exercise of public power.

The Index also places Zambia 111th globally on open government, 109th on the absence of corruption and 119th on regulatory enforcement. These findings, according to Chapter One, reinforce concerns about transparency, institutional accountability and consistent application of the law.

Chapter One Foundation has called upon Government, Parliament, the Judiciary and other relevant institutions to undertake a substantive examination of the Index's findings and pursue measurable reforms that strengthen institutional independence, protect fundamental freedoms, improve transparency and accountability, and ensure effective remedies against unlawful exercises of public authority.

Particular attention, it says, must be directed towards reversing the deterioration in civic freedoms and strengthening safeguards against the concentration and abuse of power.

The Foundation emphasises that the findings are not a contest between successive political administrations. The entrenchment of authoritarian practices is fundamentally an institutional concern that transcends political leadership. It occurs when restrictions on rights and weaknesses in accountability become accepted features of governance, irrespective of who occupies public office.

"The strength of a constitutional democracy is measured by how effectively it constrains the exercise of power," the statement reads. "The WJP Index findings should therefore give Zambia an opportunity to confront institutional weaknesses and reaffirm its commitment to constitutionalism, fundamental rights, and the rule of law."