Republican President Hakainde Hichilema has rubbished speculations  circulating on social media and from some opposition members  that his recent absence from the public eye is due to ill health.

Ministry of information and media permanent secretary Thabo Kawana who was asked about the whereabout of the president and confirm if the president was indeed sick, the PS emphased that the president was fine and later called  him on phone.

The president wondered why some people were wishing him dead when it was only God who had control over life.

The president said he was at his farm in Southern Province and that if people were truly worried about his health, they were not going to joke about life and death.

Early January 2026, speculations about the health of president Hakainde Hichilema emerged on social media and from some opposition voices.

Those claims died down significantly on January 5,when the president appeared in Choma and later addressed a rally.

The president has however not been seen in public for a good number of days now, sparking another wave of speculations.