Senior FDD Officials Join UPND

Two senior party officials from the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) have left the party to join the UPND, the latter has announced. 

The pair - FDD chair for agriculture Emack Kaoma and tourism committee chair Harriet Mukololo - said they left over poor leadership and a lack of direction from party president Edith Nawakwi. 

In her leaving speech Ms Mukololo thanked Ms Nawakwi for allowing her to serve in the party, but criticised her former leader for waging a ‘relentless’ war against UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema over the issue of privatisation.

Ms Mukololo urged Nawakwi to shift her attention from the privatisation of state assets - which she oversaw as finance minister - to more recent economic hardships facing Zambians. 

Mukololo said she was ashamed to have identified with the FDD, saying the party had no structure or direction.

“The FDD has no structures and its policy direction is not clearly defined. The party has no structures on the ground, people on the ground wonder whether am normal upstairs. If I go to the Secretariat, they tell, ‘awe mayo! Niba Nawakwi fye abene’,” she said.

Speaking on his decision to join the UPND, Mr Kaoma said he felt proud to join such a forward-thinking party.

“I want to be on the right side of history. My heart has always been for the people and I feel the vision for the UPND fits in well. I believe, together, we shall end the suffering of this country,” he said. 

UPND Secretary General Stephen Katuka issued a personal welcome to the new members.

“I want to be on the right side of history. My heart has always been for the people and I feel the vision for the UPND fits in well. I believe, together, we shall end the suffering of this country”.