John AdoyiThe Women Empowerment Agency (WEA) in Zambia has issued a stark warning to President Hakainde Hichilema, declaring that his signing of free DNA testing policy could cost him a second term in office.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lusaka on Tuesday, WEA Director Martha Tembo argued that making DNA tests freely accessible would destabilize marriages, leave children fatherless, and trigger widespread backlash against the government.
Join our WhatsApp Channel“If President Hichilema insists on this policy, he should forget 2026. He will be the first Zambian president to lose an election because of paternity scandals,” Tembo said.
The debate over free DNA testing has intensified in Zambia, with some government officials advocating for it as a means to help families confirm biological relationships and assist sexual violence victims in securing justice.
In May 2023, Zambia launched its first forensic DNA laboratory at Levy Mwanawasa Medical University in Lusaka, a facility supported by the United Nations and the U.S. government. While the lab has been instrumental in prosecuting sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) cases, a single DNA test costs $70—a price many Zambians still find prohibitive. Hence the push.
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Tembo, however, insists that free DNA testing would do more harm than good. She cited evidence and social trends suggesting that a significant number of married women have had extramarital affairs.
“Let’s not pretend,” she said. “Statistics and aunties at kitchen parties confirm what many fear: about 40% of married women have engaged in extramarital affairs. Now imagine every man rushing for a free DNA test like it’s Black Friday. It’ll be chaos. Marriages will collapse, children will be abandoned, and the courts won’t even have time to breathe!”
She warned that the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) would face a massive electoral backlash if the policy is implemented.
Instead of free DNA testing, Tembo urged the government to adopt Tanzania’s legal approach, where a legally married man is automatically recognized as the father of all children born within the marriage—regardless of biological paternity.
“I think that’s the right direction we can take as a country. Let us leave the issue of DNA tests to developed nations,” she said. “Let’s just concentrate on uplifting the living standards of Zambians.”
Tembo issued a direct threat to the UPND, vowing to mobilize married women across Zambia to vote against the party if the policy proceeds.
“Mark my words—no government survives when angry wives unite,” she declared.
