The Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) has dismissed allegation that it has failed to pay people that worked as election monitors in the October 15, 2009 Kasama Central by-election.
FODEP Information and Communications Officer, McDonald Chipenzi told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that his organisation did not hire election monitors for the by-election.
Mr. Chipenzi said it was shocking to learn that some people, who volunteered to monitor elections, were claiming that they were hired by FODEP and were demanding to be paid allowances.
He explained that during the Kasama Central by-election, FODEP assigned its members to monitor the polls and asked them to engage volunteered without promising them any payment.
“The members of FODEP that were assigned were told to only hire people that are our members,” he said.
Mr. Chipenzi said non-members of FODEP voluntarily joined assigned election monitors hence there as no need to pay them.
He further explained that FODEP has not even received any official complaint from the complainants.
He was reacting to allegations leveled against FODEP that it has failed to pay its election monitors that worked during the Kasama Central by-elections over a month ago.
Last week, irate people claiming to be election monitors stormed ZANIS offices in Kasama to register their displeasure over alleged FODEP’s failure to pay them their allowances.
ZANIS
