From royal courts to advisory halls: The transformative role of chiefs in post-Colonial Zambia

This study has explored the importance of chiefs as institutionalized in Zambia’s independence constitution under the House of Chiefs and its contributions towards the development of this country. The study has analyzed the roles of chiefs in the past. The status and relevance of indigenous rulers have been enduring. They developed and expanded their kingdoms and chiefdoms before colonial rule. The chiefs or kings reigned in council and consultations with different organs in their societies. They presided over religious, economic, social, and political systems. They organized access to land and other resources; and communicated with the ancestors for guidance on challenges such as wars and natural disasters. The chiefs or kings were not ordinary people and were thought to have exceptional powers. They had a tag of supernatural human beings. In return, the subject people worked for them, paid tribute, and fought wars in appreciation. They looked at the chiefs for guidance, survival, and security. The chiefs were highly adored, and respected and were considered sacred. They were a source of identity and prestige. 

This hegemony lasted up to the 1890s when colonial rule was instituted. The chiefs’ fortunes waned when Zambia was colonized by the British South African Company (BSAC) from 1891 to 1924. On 1^st April 1924, the BSAC handed over Northern Rhodesia to the British government and the territory became a British protectorate. The administration introduced indirect rule in 1927 which was effected in 1929. By this policy, the chiefs became mere instruments of abuse thereby implementing policies of the colonial state. The chiefs collected revenue, maintaining law and order as well as recruiting labourers for the white settlers. This lasted up to 1964 when the country achieved independence.

After independence, the role of chiefs changed with the establishment of the House of Chiefs. The first postcolonial government of the United National Independence Party (UNIP) which Kenneth David Kaunda led, from 1964 to 1991, realized that the chiefs were important partners in development and political management. As a result, the UNIP administration set up the House of Chiefs in 1965. The House was an advisory institution on diverse matters. The chiefs were able to speak through the House of Chiefs thereby participating in national politics and development. This study has concluded that chiefs and the House of Chiefs are indispensable to the development of this country.