Government Won’t Disenfranchise HH, Says Kampyongo

Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo has said the PF government will not make any attempt to bar UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema from contesting next year’s presidential election. 

Speaking on Kasama Radio on Saturday evening, Mr Kampyongo said his party was ready to face-off with HH without resorting to underhand tactics. 

“Speaking on behalf of government, we have no intentions of picking someone as a way of disenfranchising Mr Hakainde Hichilema from standing. We have competed with him before; he [was] trounced and we are still ready to face him on the political arena, not any other shortcut,” Mr Kampyongo said. 

However, the minister insisted that the government would continue its investigations into whether Mr Hichilema enriched himself during the sale of state assets in the 1990s.

“Everyone is equal before the law [and] it doesn’t matter what status you are in society - you must be answerable”.

HH has vehemently denied the charges brought against him by Edith Nawakwi and has issued the former finance minister with a cease and desist order. 

Supporters of Mr Hichilema, including Bishop John Mambo and Senior Chief Mukuni, have dismissed the charges as a political witch-hunt aimed at discrediting the opposition leader. 

In his final remarks Mr Kamyongo remained firm on the need for the claims against Mr Hichilema to be properly investigated, concluding: 

“There’s need to have a process, which process will look through these matters and conclude them and close them. Those that will be found wanting, if people of Zambia will have their assets to be returned, that can only be determined by the process. Proper transparent process!”