AFTER weeks of hectic and sometimes acrimonious campaigns, the electorate today go to the polls to choose a member of Parliament (MP) for the Kasama Central seat.
It is an election where six candidates face-off, but the media spotlight has been on MMD’s Burton Mugala and Geoffrey Mwamba of the Patriotic Front. However, elections being what they are, the other four candidates cannot be written off.
The other candidates are UNIP’s Alexander Chansa, All Peoples Congress’ Maggie Ng’ona, Christey Ntalasha and Mohamed Hamir, both of whom are contesting as independents.
MMD’s Mugala, once Zesco regional manager for Northern Province, is a well-known person in the constituency.
He based his campaigns on the need for unity of purpose for the country to achieve great success and has been calling on Zambians to embrace the ‘One Zambia One Nation’ motto.
Residents of Kasama cite his able leadership in various organisations and his humility as the features that make him a potential reliable parliamentary representative.
THE PF-UNDP pact’s Mwamba, popularly known as GBM, is also confident of scooping the seat, saying he is an indigenous person who would help ease the suffering of the people of Kasama Central.
Mr Mwamba’s message has been his desire for the northern region to be represented by someone of the same origin.
Zambia’s oldest political party, UNIP’s candidate, Chansa has been promising the strengthening of agriculture by improving the cooperative movement and increasing fertiliser given to peasant farmers.
His main target has been to rehabilitate the roads in the area and improve team work to reduce unemployment.
APC’s Ng’ona, known for her heart for marketeers, is targeting to give Kasama the first bus station and ensure that children on the street are accommodated in decent homes.
Her campaign message has been a direct appeal to the people of Kasama to elect a female MP because since the country got independence, no woman has been MP in Kasama Central.
Independent candidate, Hamir, 43, has been promising improved water reticulation in the area and help peasant farmers to become more self-reliant.
He has stayed in Kasama for 17 years and is confident that he will scoop the seat.
The other independent candidate, Ntalasha boasts of being the youngest candidate of all.
At 33, he is confident of playing a leading role to the youth whom he says he will help improve their lives by engaging them in projects that will enable them easily access the Citizens Economic Empowerment funds.
Pastor Ntalasha, who is Mission Christian Church pastor, believes in changing the mindset of the people.
He says instead of giving false promises, his campaign is focused on changing the central organ of the body, which is the mind.
He says he understands the concept of development and that the path to take is to change the mindset of the people, telling them not to rely on the Government to provide everything for them.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) yesterday declared that it was ready after 50 polling stations in eight wards were checked and resuscitated.
Kasama Town Clerk, Francis Nkhoma said his office was ready for today’s by-election and that six Land Cruisers and one light truck had been mobilised for Kasama by the ECZ.
The seat fell vacant following the resignation of PF MP, Saviour Chishimba.
The constituency has 34,451 registered voters and, hopefully, the voters will turn out in large numbers.
[Times of Zambia]
This seat is for PF LIKE IT OR NOT
VIVA PACT kasama is our home ground no need 2 panic
MMD is full of politics of marginalisation. We the people of Kasama cannot let this chance pass us by. its time to show MMD that the boat (PF) has promised to take forward (UPND) to the dry lands. we have been marginalised for long and cannot allow this to continue. MMD is being kicked out! lets show them by scooping the Kasama seat. VIVA PF/UPND
This is a very bias piece of writing, offcourse it is coming from Times of Zambia. One notices a careful selection of words on each candidate! To hell Times of Zambia! Plz LT, do these views represent your views as well???
Let the best person win. I hope Kasama people will vote with their brains and not with their stomachs like most voters on the copperbelt.
Will hope the people of kasama central will not put in a person from the dictator family who could not take any advice from the citizens on issues affecting our nation.
… and the seat goes to –
UNIP’s Alexander Chansa.
2nd place goes to MMD’s Burton Mugala.
3rd place goes to PF-UNDP’s Geoffrey Mwamba.
Hope people in Kasama will vote for leadership that does not divide tribes. Of course MMD who else?
#5 Wabe Tall Lay
#5 iam so dissapointed that can show how abundant your ignorance is. C/belt vote for PF because MMD has failed them. wish you had a chance to visit chingola town. its been turned into a small town of India. its full of illterate indans performing jobs that can perfomed by our able bodied jobless zambians that have been turned into street kids dont just yap, have facts, you pig.
Which way does Kasama Central go?
Good question LT! MMD’s Mugara will sail through come what may.I now advise all PF kaponyas to print this statement and use it to vindicate me if my statement turns a total illusion distant from the ballot verdict. I make this statement under no usual political inclination but as a grounded actor in predictive sciences that has never failed me in business, statistical analysis and political resaerch. I have used many variable to reach this conclusion. Should Mugara lose i will salute him with respect, but vow to retire from blog politics and own business. Instead will enter active politics which has never been on my calendar beyond blogging during free times. But i vow MMD victory.
We all know where its going except GBM is a big liability to the pact,yes they need his money but eish awe….
# 7 in your dreams chi colour
#5 i wil fack yo ass antil u realise bog
hahaha! #11 yea u are an actor, for from a realist. save us your crap.
#11 you are far from a realist
@ # 11, do you realise you are a dik head, get some brain development.
#11, you live a very miserable life day in day out, sulu………
PF was going to win outright if the big kaponya was featured , he has no respect for his workers he can even beat them in public please people vote wisely thuggery shoud only remain at bus stop and not in parliament please.
All PF Kaponyas, greetings to you. I pray you are strong enough to stomach the disappointing Armageddon out of Kasama at hand for your PF despite your vested cadre spirit. Sata and Lubinda’s nonsense talk that Kasama is their PACT litmus test will only serves to expose their indefensible vulnerability and irrelevancy now and in 2011.
Lets face it, this is a tough call! PF-UPND pact, right party, wrong candidate. MMD wrong party, right candidate.Bitter as this may sound to the Pact sympathisers, with all the machinery at its desposal,MMD is likely to take this one! and that will be the begining of the end for the Pact.
Take it from this post I make, In Kasama MMD’s Mugara will sail through come what may. I now advise all PF kaponyas to print this statement and use it to vindicate me if my statement turns a total illusion distant from applied politics and the ballot verdict. I make this statement under no usual political inclination but as a grounded actor in predictive sciences that has never failed me in business, statistical analysis and political research endeavors.
I have used many variables to reach this conclusion. Should Mugara lose, as a democrat I will salute him and his party with dignity, but then will retire from blog politics and my business. Instead, will enter active politics which has never been on my calendar other than just blogging during my free times. But I vow MMD victory in Kasama is undebatable.
All you PF Kaponyas with self internal strife breeding insults on me, are wasting your valuable time. Your misconduct do not bother or distort my ability for predictive analysis.I stand on the rock and a thousand will fall on my right hand side while i live to be vindicated.If i’m a dreamer come back here tomorrow and prove my illusions.I repeat Mugara is heading to Manda Hill.
Times of Zambia, it’s time you grow up, be professional in your reporting for once. Why express your views and not the peoples views, thats why you loss it. We have even stopped reading your papers becos of your bias reporting.
PF/UPND pact tulewina ba fi colour
Hachiunda Benzu ,
You have stopped reading it but you are able to read their reported statement? Do you know what you are talking about or what.Slow down in your confusion.Life is real and your health matters more.
We can’t be supprised at the confidence with which No 24 is talking, with all the food, blankets and money that the so called ministers have been distributing and all the tacttics the VJs of this world have acquired in their Katondo professionalism, who are we to critise you, you may cheat for now but you can’t fool or corrupt the heavens. Time will definately sort this crop out and we can’t wait for that time.
9 Pure bread, 10 Mwine Lubemba, 14 Sort Nyocole. Namilasa ba koswe. I was in Muf the last elections and I saw MMD distributing utubunga, cooking oil, and a few esentials at night- and they won the next day when it was clear that the opposition was going to win. Katele Kalumba and chi VJ were there, remember when Katele caused a scandal over a woman. I come from Copperbelt but ubuchushi no bupuba is too rampant. Tell your people there to vote wisely next time. Am sure it is your relatives who vote like that. Mwaba ifi ma something bonse. Bring it on mwe mbwa sha ba MMD.
If the PFUPND Pact loses in this election for whatever reason, this should be a learning point which should make them work harder on some areas that need improvement and in turn will make them come out stronger.
# 30 dont worry ma bro, i can assure you GBM is winning. the downfall of mmd starts in kasama central
# 31, if MMD lose, it wont be a loss per say because this was a PF seat, but if the Pact lose, it will be a loss of a seat which will open floodgates of failure in their one time stronghold.The PF rebels are waiting for this litmus test and if and if it swings MMDs’ way,they are definetely resigning to stand on the MMD ticket and get back at SATA.The Pact blew it by adopting a clobberer !
Which side are you on # 29 umuntu mutwe. Pact or MMD. learn to explain thing s explicitly. we could be on the same side. thought you were MMD.
# 32 the pipo of kasama central are not voting for GBM they are voting for the PACT
#29, which Mufulira becoz last time I checked all the MPs are from PF, and Muf is dead as in dead, was there last week and no roads mwana so how do you expect ba MMD to win there?
should be the boat – if not it’s very suspicious
#34,Yes there are times where the partys’ popularity overshadows the candidates own character and the latter wins on that basis,but am afraid this election is very much riding on the candidates’ rather than the Partys’ popularity and frankly speaking GBMs’ character leaves much to be desired. Am not MMD myself neither am i PF but am merely calling a spade a spade and not a spoon.WINA AZALILA!
Kasama Central was scoped by PF in last election – therefore they are expected to win it back easily. If they lose then definitely it will be a big surprise! its a known fact that mmd does not expect them to lose. If mmd wins this time around – it will be the best thing to happen in 2009 but even they lose as expected it will be the margin of loss that will matter as this will be an indicator of the general mood in the area. Good luck Sata. Next we go fight in Solwezi with HH!
I see PF getting it by a landside. This is certainly not based on the quality of the candidate but the party’s popularity.
SENIOR CITIZEN, I agree with you that the MMD will carry the day..whether these PF/UPND kaponyas want it or not..they dont want to live in reality.They are like SATA their president who always dreams that he will one day rule Zambia.He has been defeated several times in General Elections but he still dreams like he will one day win.SATA has even stopped thinking that he will also die..instead he thinks its RB who will die first..Shame on you SATA.Lets go Kaponyas insult me also, I know LT are watching…..VIVA MMD…Aluta Continua…
Sadly,GBM will win. Then what?…..The fool will be BOXING anyone with complaints at the contituency office…that is if he will ever be seen in Kasama again after friday night. So all you local expartriates can say whatever you want to say but the real winners and losers are the LOCALS in Kasama…like the old woman who was relishing a new chitenge no matter what was printed on it,at least she will have something to wear to church…the one she got last year is finished….! And the orphan she keeps who will have a BRAND NEW t-shirt,…the closest new thing he ever wore is the saluala baseball top the Grandmother got from church for him. To them all what matters is FOOD in the stomach and the CLOTH on their backs. The rest is for you LEARNED bloggers exchanging insults on the internet.
It is a very interesting election indeed. One that will voice out the wind currently blowing.
That is the wind of Change. The PF/UPND Pact is god sent just like Moses was sent to free the Israelites from the wicked ways of The Pharaos. In our times it is unheard of to hear God’s voice so as to realise his presence but we only do so when we see our enemy commit mistakes that are unbelievably unnecessary. Only fit to be made by infants. I now believe that indeed when god intends to destroy someone he first make them go mad( blind them, make them get proud, make them grow big headed, make them become the know it all, and last but not the least develop deaf ears).
God has definitely heard the cries from the majority of Zambians and shall certainly grant them their desires. PF/UPND
This election is not about about the candidates but rather the strength of the political parties. PF/UPND will win with a landslide victory and then win as well in Solwezi. If VJ Mwansa tempers with the outcome then that will be the beginning of anarchy pa ZED. Viva PF/UPND Pact. Viva GBM…..
Viva GBM and the pact MMD marubbish will show that the whole country is not happy with you come to solwezi UPND Candidate will win too mwanya mwe fipuba mwe ba MMD
Nafuti nafuti the pact will win MMD mwefwa
VIVA MMD..Abash HAKASATA..
Sounds like Mugala is a good man standing on a wrong ticket. I also do not have confidence that GBM is the caliber of leaders we need, I think he is a bafoon and should limit himself to running his business. At the end of the day, this will be about MMD against PF and has nothing to do with the caliber of the people running. A GBM victory will be a repudiation of the MMD and not an endorsement of GBM or even PF. The Kasama central electorate is essentially being asked to choose a lesser of two evils …. it is a lose-lose situation for the people of Kasama Central.
Mugala will win and not because of the MMD but because he is a better candidate than GBM.
Viva Pact !! Viva GBM !! Viva Zambia!!
I’ve gone to bed now, cant wait waking up to a PF/UPND victory tommorrow and pop my champagne. After all it a Friday…….MMD kuya bebele..!!!!
PF heading for a landslide.
MMD has lost Livingstonr/Mwinulinga/Rusangu/Itexhi Utezgi
The pact has scooped the Kasama seat. Senior ***** or Senior Citizen eat your humble pie. Solwezi here we come.
Senior citizen #20,22-24 and 27 walobe lyauma mudala!!!! You have found that the HANDS of UPND and the BOAT of PF have sailed to victory because of people power.The PACT raises its hands(one clenched fist and an extended hand of comradeship) to signify harmony and people power. Please take it from us,the ones you label as Kaponyas(which SOME OF US certainly are not),the Juggernaught is on its way to victory come 2011.No amount of rigging will stop it this time. We have learnt our lessons. Solwezi is NEXT!!!HOHOHOHOHOHOHO! The Chitimukulu must be sweating in the wrong place now,wondering who is “PARAMOUNT”,him or the PEOPLE………………………………………………………………………….ALA CIWEME ICIBI!!!!!!!