CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS AND THE ROAD TO THE AUGUST 2026 GENERAL ELECTIONS
By Emmanuel Lisahndu
Abstract
This paper examines the role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in Zambia in the lead-up to the August 2026 general elections. It begins by defining civil society and outlining the functions of CSOs. The paper highlights the legal and institutional framework governing CSOs in Zambia, noting concerns regarding restrictive legislation. It further explores the diverse types of CSOs and analyses key challenges facing CSOs. In the context of the 2026 elections, the paper argues that CSOs have a critical responsibility to promote democratic values, ensure accountability, and provide non-partisan civic education. It emphasizes the need for an enabling environment that allows CSOs to operate freely and independently. The paper concludes that strengthening public understanding of CSOs and safeguarding their impartiality will be essential for fostering credible elections and sustaining democratic governance in Zambia.
Introduction
Civil society has been understood in many ways , with some defining it as as the arena, outside of the family, the state, and the market, which is created by individual and collective actions, organisations and institutions to advance shared interests. Others have defined it as the space between individuals and the government.civil society organisations on the other hand have be understood to be groups set up to assist members of civil society in a variety of ways, including politically, socially, and economically. Over the years CSOs have played a major part in Zambia’s democracy often being in the frontlines of advocacy on behalf of the people of this country. Zambia heads to the polls once more in august of 2026, a time that requires more than ever an impartial, non political voice to guide that nation and defend the values of democracy and good governance. this writing therefore discusses the role of civil society organisations in Zambia at this very critical time in the country’s history.
What are CSOs and what do they do?
Civil society organisations are basically non governmental organisations set up to assist members of civil society (the space between individuals and the government) in a variety of ways, including politically, socially, and economically. NGOs in general can be divided into formal and informal and the main distinctions within the NGO family are between advocacy NGOs, which are concerned with influencing public policy, and service NGOs, which are concerned with social service delivery. This writing focuses more on the advocacy NGOs as they are more active in the governance sector and elections as a whole.
Civil society or non governmental organisations in Zambia are regulated by two main statutes which are the civil societies act and the non governmental organisations act of 2009. These two acts provide the law as to the formation and regulation of NGOs in the country. Among other provisions the NGO act require non governmental organisations to regularly submit reports of their funding to as a means ensure transparency in the sector for national security purposes. According to the Sustainability Index (2018), CSOs felt that the NGO Act, passed in 2009, opened the door to the exercise of arbitrary governmental authority with Professor some experts saying that the government should repeal the law due to its lack of compliance with the Zambian constitution.
The Non Governmental Organisations Act No. 16 of 2009 specifically covers NGOs, but does not apply to churches, clubs, political parties, professional groups or organisations, trade unions or religious organisations. These groups are covered by the Societies Act, Cap 119 (1958), the principle piece of legislation providing for the registration of societies. The Societies Act has been accused of being incompatible with the current democratic dispensation, as it gives government excessive discretionary powers to regulate organisations. In particular, sections 13 and 23 give the Minister of Home Affairs and the Registrar of Societies wide-ranging powers to cancel the registration of any society.
What are some of the civil society organisations in Zambia?
It is not possible to exhaustively state the number or names of every civil society organization in the country. However, the following would be useful in painting a general picture of what types of organisations should come to mind when one mentions civil society organisations:
Faith-based organisations
Trade unions
Women‟s organisations
Student or youth organisations
Developmental CSOs (for example, NGOs working on literacy, health, or social services)
Advocacy CSOs (civic action, social justice, human rights or consumers‟ groups)
CSOs active in research, information dissemination, education and training (think tanks, resource centres, non-profit schools)
Non-profit media groups
Associations of socio-economically marginalised groups (poor people, homeless, landless, immigrants, refugees)
Social service and health associations (charities raising funds for health research and services, mental health associations, associations of people with physical disabilities)
Other fund-raising bodies and organisations
Professional and business organisations (chambers of commerce, professional associations)
Community organisations (village associations, neighbourhood committees)
Community-level groups or associations (burial societies, self-help groups, parents‟ associations, village associations, indigenous peoples‟ associations, monasteries, and mosque-based associations)
Economic interest organisations (cooperatives, credit unions, mutual saving associations, agriculture)
Ethnic, traditional or indigenous associations or organisations
Environmental organisations
Culture, arts and social and recreational organisations
CSO networks, federations, support organisations
Source: CIVICUS Civil Society Index Analytical Country Report for Zambia
From the table above, one can se that there are numerous civil society organisations in Zambia, each representing a different demography and having its own objective. Despite their differences, these organizations have one thing in common which is that they all basically bridge the gap in services between the state and the people and act as a mouthpiece for the people they represent as a broader function that is imprinted in their very nature.
What are the some of the main functions of civil society organisatiions ?
policy advocacy
the policy advocacy role of CSOs is increasingly becoming significant in democratic states. While exploring advocacy functions of civil society. civil society creates “channels other than political parties for the articulation, aggregation, and representation of interests”. This function of civil society is helpful to those who are traditionally marginalised by the state. In zambia organizations like chapter one foundation, oasis forum and th law association of zambia have been at the forefront of advocating for proper policies and laws in the country. This is evident in the previous year when the government introduced the national amendment bill No. 7 of 2025 which was the subject of debate for a while with CSOs in the country raising red flags at some of the provisions of the bill and the manner in which the constitutional amendment was initially planned.
cooperation with international organisations
Civil society also works extensively with international organisations, with an estimation that from 2007 – 2009, they were involved in in over 75% of the World Bank’s projects. Today, the World Bank partners with CSOs in Argentina to monitor government programmes and hold them to account, in China to help empower women in remote highland areas and across Africa to help reduce pesticide use among farmers.
Monitoring efficiency of existing laws
CSOs also help monitor the laws that they worked to have passed, with people coming together to make sure rights are not abused and laws are obeyed. Civil society plays a part in monitoring the activities of private sector entities, for example bringing up instances of illegal pollution and human rights abuses, creating accountability when needed.
Promotion of accountability and transparency
Transparency between governments, civil society and the private sector also promotes greater and more effective development co-operation. For example, Transparency International focuses on transparency and accountability mechanisms that ensure public funds can be tracked to ensure they pay for schools and hospitals, instead of being diverted to line the pockets of corrupt officials.
Providing Civic education to the public
Civic education has been recognised as an essential strategy for the development of civic competence among the citizens in a democracy. Politically competent citizens may participate in the politics of their country at all levels. Competent citizens are those who are aware of what is going on in their country and who try to be part of the political processes taking place, actively participating in elections, policy discussions, political debates, and so on. This competence must be nurtured and, in most cases, the nurturing depends on the dominant political culture of a country or a section of a country. In Zambia, civil society organizations like alliance for community action have been active in this area.
From the above it can be seen that civil society organisations play a vital role in any society. Considering the fact that Zambian in august of this yar is set to head to the polls, these roles of civil society organisations can not be over emphasized. It is a well known fact that election periods in zambia like most African countries have historically bee marred by corruption, political violence and manipulation of power and public resources. This thus requires CSOs to be at their most optimum state to actively advocate for transparency, accountability, constitutionalism, rule of law and civic education to ensure the ideals of democracy are realise even through this period.
Challenges faced by CSOs in Zambia
Funding
CSOs are both understaffed and underfunded. Beyond this, CSOs are receiving much of their funding through grants and resources from large multinational organizations. This funding relationship is undesirable because it creates dependency on external support as opposed to fiscal sovereignty from within. This in turn means that most CSOs in the country are unable to serve their target populations.
Restrictive regulations
Critics of the NGO act state that it subjects nongovernmental groups to excessive and unwarranted controls, including by placing them under the authority of a government-dominated NGO Registration Board that has the authority to interfere in these groups’ activities. Zambian organizations protested this law when it was enacted. They were concerned about the law’s arbitrary registration procedures, imposed code of conduct, and the requirement to submit annual information about a group’s activities, funders, accounts, and the personal wealth of their officials. The law sets out penalties for noncompliance that range from suspension to revocation of an organization’s registration. Civil society organizations have warned about the potential harm of such a repressive and restrictive law, especially since a request to register can be turned down on broad and unclear grounds.
CSO-government relationship
Another challenge that civil society organizastions in zambia like many other African states face is a somewhat complicated relationship between the state and the organisations where the state sees the CSOs as partners in development and other state activities, and therefore regards them as supportive of the state. In most cases, these activities relate to social welfare and advocacy.
While the first above seems like an ideal relationship between the sta and CSOs that is not always the case for other organizations. A good example of such is where the state feels its interests are threatened by the activities of CSOs in situations, for instance, where the CSOs are providing a political platform – whether real or imagined – for opponents of the government. In such a situation, a close relationship between a human rights CSO and the state will prove to be the ‘kiss of death’, as the state will ensure that the organisation’s agenda is derailed, or, if the organisation is particularly stubborn, it might be put out of business entirely.
Another scenario is the one in which the state feels that the activities of a CSO/NGO place national security at risk, frequently because of the sources and levels of funding of the organisation. When funding comes from outside the country and the amounts involved are viewed by the state as too large questions are raised, the activities of the organisation are monitored, and problems arise when there is contact between the organisation and the state. Again, the organisations most likely to fall into this category are quasi-political NGOs including human rights organisations and those created for specifically political purposes such as election observation and monitoring.
What then is setting for civil society organisations in the road to and after the 2026 general elections?
As the country heads to the polls in august 2026, the political tensions in the country are as usual expected to be high. The country will require independent and impartial voices that will stand for the principles of good governance, constitutionalism and democracy. This means that civil society organisations will have to speak up more on areas where they feel the candidates to the elections are in one way or the other violating the rule of law.
This means that the government will have to create an environment where the CSOs are free to express themselves, to assemble as well as to criticize the state where they see that it has not performed well. The optimistic side to this is that such was seen last year when the government invited CSOs to state house to discuss the national amendment bill No. 7 of 2025, which was attended by the oasis forum but was however discontinued. on the other hand skepticism arises when one considers the laws that many have criticized for being restrictive such as the cyber security act and the public order act that may be used to control freedom of expression and assembly of these organisations. Overall it is hoped that the government will accord CSOs the necessary space to carry out their objectives during this critical period.
In addition to the government allowing CSOs their necessary space, what is needed is enhanced civic education of Zambian citizens of the nature of CSOs and what they do. The duty to spread this knowledge rests not only on the state but on the CSOs themselves. There is need to spread sensitization amongst members of the public because most of the Zambian populace is not aware of their importance with some just seeing them as political groups because of their constant advocacy against government measures which ironically normally do tend to overlap with voices of opposition political parties. The increased awareness of what exactly CSOs are and do in the public will definietely enable more public understanding of CSOs in the country, their rights and would increase citizen participation in the democratic process even after the elections.
furthermore, civil society organisations have a duty to act impartially and independently and stand for the ideals of good governance democracy as opposed to spread the agendas of their donors, opposition political parties or the government. some skeptics cross Africa have criticized NGOs of participating in donor driven policy, which is one manifestation of loss of self-determination by the recipient/developing countries. They claim in so doing NGOs are legitimising this type of domination, which goes by the brand name of ‘globalisation’. in addition to that, skeptics claim that by pretending to be partners with the government in the policy process NGOs have let governments off the hook. it is hoped that civil society organisations in Zambia would avoid such.
Lastly, while it is hard for CSOs to avoid politics because of the nature of the issues they would advocate for and the possibilities of having overlapping agendas with political parties they must not become a platform for politics because that would affect their impartiality and standing in the eyes of the Zambian citizens who would know little about interpretingng the fact that The agendas of a CSO and those of a given political party may be the same or similar, or may overlap. It would be easy for those opposing CSOs to interpret that as being deliberate support for the party’s agenda.
Conclusion
Civil society organisations are an integral part of any democratic nation, Zambia is no exception. Despite the facing a number of challenges, as the nation heads to the polls later this year it is hoped that the general environment will be conducive for CSOs to carry out their functions freely and efficiently. It is also hoped that more civic education can be carried out to ensure that CSOs not only substitute the people whose rights they represent but actually create competent citizens that understand what CSOs are and participate in the promotion and protection of the principles of good governance and democracy. In the end, the nation will always even after the elections be in need of impartial, independent civil society organisations that will diligently defend and promote the ideals of good governance and democracy.
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