Police Chief Warns UPND Cadres, Silent On PF Crimes

Inspector-General of the Zambian Police Kakoma Kanganja has warned UPND members that the police will take action against them after a group of suspected party cadres broke into a registration centre in Chitamba village, Northern Province, and stole electoral machinery.

However, no such statement has been issued by the Inspector General on the petrol bombing of UPND trustee Peter Kalyata’s house by suspected PF cadres in Matero last Tuesday.

The incident left Mr Kalyata and his wife severely burned after they escorted their children and grandchildren from the blaze. 

On Sunday, alleged members of the UPND searched an electoral registration office in Lukashya and stole equipment used for issuing National Registration Cards. They also assaulted police officers who found them at the scene.

In a statement, Inspector-General Kanganja said the police “strongly condemn the action taken by suspected UPND Cadres”.

He added that the process of mobile registration had not been ‘hidden’, but rather “there has been maximum publicity about this way back before this process was commenced”. 

This comes against widespread criticism of the Electoral Commission of Zambia’s (ECZ) decision to reregister the entire country for voting in the space of just one month. 

Singer and civil rights activist Pilato has accused the ECZ of “quickly becoming an enemy institution of our democracy”.

Alliance for Community Action (ACA) director Laura Miti also condemned the move, saying it made “no logical, logistical or democratic sense”.