A viral Facebook post claims President Hakainde Hichilema secretly acquired gold-rich state land in Mwalule, Chinsali, through his younger brother, Evans Hichilema. However, iVerify Zambia found no credible evidence supporting the allegation, and State House has dismissed the claim as false and baseless.
Claim
A Facebook page called Patriotic Front published a post on 1 August 2026 claiming that President Hakainde Hichilema had secretly acquired state land in the Mwalule area of Chinsali District, Muchinga Province, through his younger brother, Evans Hichilema.
The post further alleged that the land contains an estimated 21 million metric tonnes of gold reserves valued at US$15 trillion and includes a sacred site where Bemba chiefs are buried.
The claim attracted widespread attention on social media because it alleges misconduct by the Head of State and makes extraordinary assertions about ownership of a purportedly gold-rich area.
To avoid further amplifying the false narrative, we have excluded the link to the original post which formed the basis of this fact check.
Verdict: FALSE
Rating Justification
iVerify Zambia investigated the claim and found no credible evidence to support it.
In response to an iVerify Zambia inquiry, State House Chief Communications Specialist Clayson Hamasaka dismissed the allegation as false and baseless. He said President Hakainde Hichilema has not acquired any land in the Mwalule area of Chinsali District and condemned what he described as the continued spread of false information about the President and State House.
Additionally, iVerify checked official registry and related records. Our verification found no official records, credible media reports, or other reliable sources substantiating the claim that President Hichilema or his brother, Evans Hichilema, acquired the alleged gold-rich land.
The viral post also provides no verifiable evidence to support its claims regarding the alleged gold deposits or the purported land acquisition.
Conclusion
The claim that President Hakainde Hichilema secretly acquired gold-rich state land in Mwalule, Chinsali, through his younger brother is false. State House has categorically denied the allegation, and iVerify Zambia found no credible evidence to substantiate the claim through official records or other reliable sources.
The spread of unsupported allegations involving public officials, particularly the Head of State, can have significant consequences during an election period. Such claims have the potential to distort public understanding of issues of national importance, influence political discourse, and undermine informed democratic participation if they are accepted as fact without verification.
While public scrutiny of elected leaders or those aspiring for office is a legitimate aspect of democratic governance, allegations of corruption, abuse of office, or unlawful acquisition of public resources should be supported by verifiable evidence. Publishing or sharing unsubstantiated claims risks amplifying misinformation and weakening public confidence in the information ecosystem.
iVerify Zambia therefore encourages the public to verify politically sensitive claims with credible, evidence-based sources before sharing them, especially during the election period when information can have a heightened impact on public opinion and electoral integrity.
Help Stop the Spread of Misinformation
Before sharing election-related content, verify whether it comes from credible and official sources. If you encounter suspicious claims, images, or videos, submit them to iVerify Zambia for verification.
Have information to share or a claim you would like us to verify?
📱 WhatsApp/Call: +260 762 974 750
📧 Email: factcheck@panos.org.zm
