Claim
Today, 27th February 2026, a document purported to be a press release from State House appeared on several Facebook and other social media platforms alleging that President Hakainde Hichilema had resigned from the Office of the President of the Republic of Zambia with immediate effect. The document claimed that the President’s resignation was in accordance with Article 106(5)(a) of the Constitution of Zambia.
Verification
iVerify Zambia investigations have established that the claim by the document circulating on social media platforms, among them Zambia for All 2026 that President Hakainde Hichilema has resigned from his office with immediate effect is False.
An examination of the circulating document disguised as a press release purportedly issued by the State House Chief Communications Specialist, Mr. Clayson Hamasaka, has several glaring errors.
- Article 106(5)(a) which the document cites as the basis for the alleged President Hakainde’s resignation is unrelated to the subject matter of the document. The Article instead states that “the Vice-President shall immediately assume the office”.
- iVerify Zambia also compared the document in question with several official State House press releases and discovered that:
- The fake press release has no coat of arms watermark that is so prominent of the official state house letterhead.
- The telephone number on the fake document is incorrect as it misses one digit.
- The postal address, telephone number and email address on the official State House letterhead are bolded. This also applies to the date and the words “issued by”.
- The colour of the words “State House” and the font size of the words “Press Release” on the fake document are inconsistent with those on the official state house letterhead.
3. Above all, there has been no official notice submitted to the Speaker and no confirmation from State House Zambia or any credible news organization about the alleged resignation of President Hakainde Hichilema. Therefore, the document circulated by Zambia for All 2026 and other social media platforms is a falsification of the official State House letterhead and contains information intended to mislead and cause alarm to the public.
The President is a constitutionally protected public office. Spreading falsehoods about the President, especially knowingly or recklessly, can trigger criminal liability, civil lawsuits, and regulatory sanctions, even where the person claims they were “just sharing” information. While freedom of expression is guaranteed and criticism of the President is lawful, the law does not protect the circulation of false or unverified allegations. In law, sharing amounts to publishing, and individuals may be held accountable for the content they forward or repost. Importantly, lack of malicious intent does not cancel responsibility, as liability can arise from reckless or negligent dissemination of false information.
Evidence
https://www.facebook.com/share/175F2KtDLS/
https://www.sh.gov.zm/president-hichilema-announces-cabinet-changes/
https://www.sh.gov.zm/president-hichilema-dates-cape-town-for-mining-indaba/
