Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema has asked couples to stop checking their spouse's phones.

Hakainde Hichilema's comments come at the back of a plea to try and curb divorce rates in the country.

BBC reports indicate that Zambia recorded an increase in divorce cases of over 22,000 last year alone, statistics that the president described as unfortunate.

The report added that lack of conjugal rights, adultery, gender-based violence, insults, and cruelty were among the major reasons people cited in court for seeking a divorce.

“We marry for love; we don’t marry to go and check each other out, or to go and point a finger," Mr. Hichilema is quoted by local outlets as saying when he hosted a local monarch.

He reportedly added: "Freedom means responsibility to limit our freedom, not to tamper with the freedom of others. Be tolerant, be understanding.”

Statistics from the last 12 months showed the shortest marriage in the country lasted for 30 days while the longest was 65 years.

NYA