Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanganja said he deeply regrets the loss of life that occurred yesterday during what he called unlawful procession by the United Party for National Development (UPND) Cadres.
Mr Kanganja said an Inquiry File in the shooting incident has since been opened.
“The public may wish to know that the United Party for National Development had notified the Police through our Lusaka Division office of their intended public rally to be held on 8th July, 2016 in Chawama. However, due to security concerns the conveners were called and advised that they should not proceed with the rally,” Mr Kanganja said in a statement.
“They were further advised to consider an alternative date for their rally. Regardless of this, the UPND decided to ignore the advice, instead they opted to mobilize themselves and carried out an unlawful procession starting from their Secretariat Offices along Provident Road in Rhodespark through Church Road into Cairo Road then Kafue Road up to Kamwala Shopping area.
During this process, public order and peace was disturbed by way of harassing motorists and members of the public.”
He said five female Traffic Police Officers who were controlling traffic at Freedom Statue were also attacked by the same UPND Cadres who attempted to grab a Police radio and in the process injured them.
“One mobile phone and five Police head dresses were grabbed from the Police Officers. More Police Officers rushed to the scene and ordered them to disperse but instead the Cadres attacked the Police Officers. The Officers fired tear gas to disperse the unruly Cadres, but they continued attacking the Police using different types of missiles. The situation became very volatile and Police started firing rubber bullets at the mob to contain the situation. The Cadres still continued advancing aggressively and in the process, two persons were injured, a male and a female, who were both picked by the Police and rushed to the University Teaching Hospital where upon arrival the female was pronounced dead, whilst the male person has since been admitted.”
He said some Cadres that committed various offences had rushed to their Secretariat to seek refuge where Police managed to apprehend them and that so far 22 Cadres have been charged and arrested for Unlawful Procession and Riotous behaviour and are currently detained in custody and will appear in Court soon.
Mr Kanganja said the injured officers were taken to the hospital where they were treated and later discharged.
“Whilst police regret what transpired this afternoon, Police wants to take this opportunity to again sound a strong warning to all Political Cadres that political violence will not be condoned regardless of their political affiliation.
We still appeal to Political leaders to advise their members to exercise restraint to political violence. Police are determined at all costs to ensure that peace, law and order prevails throughout the nation and we will employ all legal means before, during and after the elections.”
Yes police are determined to intimidate and even kill ONLY those that belong to UPND. What action have you taken Kanganja on these PF cadres moving with guns and shooting UPND cadres in broad day light? Does it mean ONLY UPND cadres DONT deserve to live?? Kanganja your day of reckoning will surely come. Cry mother Zambia that those people we have as leaders are the ones killing us.
Does anyone know the relationship between Lungu and Kanganja? I don’t understand how somebody who obviously must be from WP or NWP can be overseeing death squads on behalf of Lungu. This is no longer about retaining jobs from PF. This is about killing Zambians. Kanganja, who must be Mbunda, should know the saying: “Malu akushuma mununda, yobe utabula miziba kwimbo”.
UPND have only themselves to blame then. They were the aggressors in this. Violence begets violence, time they stopped being violent.
Kanganja THE PIG!! Remember EVERY DOG HAS ITs DAY, GUESS WHAT????? YOURS IS NOT VERY FAR AWAY!!!! Remember, ALL DICTATORS or KILLERS, NONE HAS EVER SUCCEEDED IN KILLING A PEOPLE, enough survive to come looking for RATS LIKE YOU & PUT YOU AWAY WHERE YOU BELONG!!!! BELIEVE THIS FOR YOU DON’T HAVE LONG TO GO!!!!
Vote WISELY 11/8/2016!! VOTE ZAMBIA FORWARD!!! VOTE UPND FOR A UNITED & PEACEFUL ZAMBIA!!!
Abantu baya!!
#Chagwamustfall!! #PamaFikuyabebele!!
I thank you!!
Violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones. Violence is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding: it seeks to annihilate rather than convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends up defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.”
Martin Luther King,Jr
@Saaulosi ,For God’s sake be serious for once and stop justifying the wrong actions of the pf police.That young woman whose life has been terminated prematurely is a Zambian who had a democratic right to belong to any party of her choice just like you belong to pf.
She had dreams and aspirations.One day she even dreamt of walking down the aisle to get married to a man of her dreams.That has been taken away because she chose to be differnet from you.
This is campaign time and parties have a right to hold rallies anywhere in Zambia.Just tell me how many pf rallies have been cancelled?To be specific in Southern province?How many pf cadres have been murdered to date?Go to Choma and see for yourself how pf and UPND are co existing.
pf has armed its cadres and they have strict orders shoot…
Then why are UPND saying she was short down? Is is another way to incite more violence/protests?
Adding insult to injury – what a farce! Is this really an inspector general of police. Does it mean that the police have been authorised to kill for any offence? What is the point courts then?
Zambia is a broken state. We are starting a liberation war – there is no way elections can change the current situation. Lungu is a real mother fu.cker and devil! May God take his throat….that evil man!
I have always said that the time for just firing or demoting police officers for abusing citizens should now be over. Individual police officers of whatever rank must be prosecuted in their own personal capacity for human rights violations like these. You cannot keep hiding under the banner of acting on orders from politicians. Mr Kanganja is an old man who should be able to tell right from wrong, same as all the officers under his command. You cannot shoot to kill your fellow citizens and say that is what I was ordered to do.
The Police in Zambia and whoever sent them will find themselves at the Hague, these are part of the uganda tactics and a preview of what will happen after elections to cause terror in the opposition. 1964 and 1991 were landmarks in Zambia’s step to freedom and should never be compromised in any way by dictators.
HH is the one who is to blame because he has authority over his cadres.Had HH told his cadres to go home that precious life could have been spared… now because he has no wisdom that life is lost because it doesn’t pay to be confrontational…Late President Mr Michael Sata when in opposition never used his cadres as shields but always reminded them to be peaceful…
Zonkeyo: You are just cursed and so is the smelly vag.ina that gave birth to you!
@ zakeyo
IMBECILE
@ Chilyata, That only confirms how worthless and myopic you are…Insults will never ever win you any election but I forgive you for your insults…
@Saaulosi ,For God’s sake be serious for once and stop justifying the wrong actions of the pf police.That young woman whose life has been terminated prematurely is a Zambian who had a democratic right to belong to any party of her choice just like you belong to pf.
She had dreams and aspirations.One day she even dreamt of walking down the aisle to get married to a man of her dreams.That has been taken away because she chose to be differnet from you.
This is campaign time and parties have a right to hold rallies anywhere in Zambia.Just tell me how many pf rallies have been cancelled?To be specific in Southern province?How many pf cadres have been murdered to date?Go to Choma and see for yourself how pf and UPND are co existing.
pf has armed its cadres and they have strict orders shoot…
Iwe chi Chilyata, stop insulting! Why can’t you just debate harmoniously.
no ever explains the so called SECURITY REASONS why these rallies are cancelled at the last minute when people have even started going to the venue…..
This is an Election Campaign Period so why did the Police cancel the UPND rally at the last minute? Does ZRP have powers to cancel a rally which did not need a permit? Kanganja is being used by PF to fight its own wars with UPND. ZRP should not be a dept in PF to carry out criminal activities on behalf of PF. The mistake that Kanganja made was to accept directives from Lungu. Now PF thugs trained in the use of guns, planted in ZRP and issued guns by ZRP are causing havoc and soiling the image of ZRP. Kanganja and his Commander-in-Chief are liable for these crimes against humanity and should be surrendered to ICC in the Hague when the time comes. The death of this innocent girl should not be in vain. Somebody should pay for this. May the soul of this innocent girl rest in peace.
Doesn’t the Inspector General realize that cancelling the UPND rally at the last minute would itself cause a “security concern”? A last minute phone call to political leaders when crowds were already mobilizing for the event was not very smart and certainly not a way to “keep the peace” as he claims. With blood on the hands, this is both cowardly and shameful!
Kanganja: what threat did the poor girl pose to the police at the time the police shot her dead? You PF cadres masquerading as policemen in the Zambia Police Service have now gone too far. You need to be checked with exactly the same measure of force. Very soon we will wish your soul to RIP. I am disgusted.
Foolish man
He says an inquiry has been opened to investigate what happened. However in the same statement he explains what happened and even draws a conclusion on why the shooting happened (according to him). If you have all those facts, then why open an inquiry?
I can’t believe this kind of mentality in my own country in this age and era. Zambia that stood side by side with oppressed peoples of the region and the world at large in the past is today itself at crossroads – in dire need of help from all well-meaning people of the world. Believe it or not we are degenerating at an alarming rate. There is something wrong with those we have entrusted with power to govern this country because they don’t see any wrong or they pretend not to. This is a very sad day for my country.
UPND are by nature violent and Police should continue being firm as we approach 11th August……..do not tolerate ba cow dung to continue disturbing public peace and order.
HH must be held accountable. He was called for the meeting and was advised not to go ahead! But alas being the self anointed one, he decides to risk other people’s children whilst his own remain at his home…UPND cadres mus wake and realize that they are the losers in this deviance. HH, GBM, William Banda and their families will always remain safe in their houses. Political violence is alien to Zambia. HH has lost so many time and he cannot it to lose again this time around hence this desperation which is full of bitterness. HH is more venomous than a fully grown black mamba…HH has the capacity to put this country on fire if not handle with care…
You can throw stones at the police and do whatever your s.t.upidity tells you to do but never attempt to disarm a police officer or try to run to away with his hat or baton on beret.
Sort these stupid upnd cadres & there leaders. Arrest tonse from ka hh, madumbo gbv, & this lost disaipo Nevious mumba. Bonse! Arrest them
Its high time This upnd cadres get sorted out now violence Is not the way to Win élection.
Pf all the way no Tonga président for now.more especially HH.11/08/16.he Will be no more in politics.
Why beat up traffic officers if the protest was peaceful. STOP BEING USED RIGHT NOW HH IS FINE WITH HIS FAMILY. You even disarm the police!! Awe ba upnd leave your mapatizya formula in your bedrooms. Kanshi which demon are you operating in??
Politicians must for once step back and consider what they are unleashing on gullible supporters. It is like sending kids into a crowd with suicide vests while you relax in your protected mansion. PLEASE, WE BEG YOU POLITICIANS SHOW RESTRAINT! BOTH SIDES! THE RULERS AND THE WANNA-RULE…
Thats why it is important not to give authority to lumpens and manguams who are imcompetent to run sensitive departments like police. The guy at the helm of police is a political PF minion.
Keep the records, this cop should someday be taken to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague……former heads of state, former rebel leaders and others who thought were great are now languishing there.
You break the law and attack Police Officers what do you expect? Only a dunderhead like the ones commenting above would think the Police would act differently and where are the UPND leaders??? Busy smiling because they think this will give thm Political Mileage soooo sad!!!
Only the other week Edgar Lungu authorized cops to use maximum force when dealing with opposition! What an idi0t!
Kanganja you will also die one day don’t be too excited to please your master. You are cursing yourself and the curse will come to your children and your grandchildren blood is in your hands.
Since when did Police start laying ambushes for its citizens?? There is nowhere in Police training manuals, where it stipulates that ambushes can be organized to stop unruly crowd. This is a campaign period and UPND had the clearance to conduct a rally on that particular day. It baffles me as to why the police decided to cancel their rally at last minute?? If they knew that there was a security concern, which for sure, it is PF, why didn’t they mobilize more police officers to secure the area?? It is very clear that the IG received instructions from Lungu to stop this rally.
The problem with this kind of behaviour by the police, may just render our citizens to take the law in their own hands. This is the first time ever we are experiencing this horrible scenes. Chiluba was bad but he…
This Kanganja guy is lying to his teeth.. jeez his explanation doesn’t add up. He is even fails to acknowledge that live bullets were used to kill the unarmed citizens. Look how labours to arrive at the killing part… is he is trying to insinuate that rubber bullets killed the people?
Oh gosh and you have a guy like this as the head of the police, who is not even brave enough to acknowledge his mistake and that of his men.
I think it’s about time Zambians resisted this kind of political and police brutality, rather than just folding hands and complaining in their slumber. We should be mature democratically at this stage.
I have heard that the freemason HH has now been promoted to Master Mason of the Lodge shortly after he presented the blood of his clients who passed on during the UPND procession. The position will be graded after donating charities to the homes of the deceased. New freemasons will be initiated at the lodge tonight. Believe it or not.
Okay then the rally was supposed to take place in chawama but why starting the group walk from Rhodes park? Guys lets be sincere those responsible for organizing this events are the ones to blame not the police, Cairo and kafue road are the always busy and how many people where inconvenience by this? The police took someones life yes which would have been avoided but UPND should take full responsibility for this it wasn’t necessary.
Zambia Police is a laughing stock on the continent, we have men without morals. we have men without balls. they have been reduced to pf fundraisers at road blocks. they are reduced to cadres in the name of obeying commands. how do you follow commands from a sick person. resign ba IG and the whole world will respect you. their are other ways of securing your future. you are a shame to your family i wouldnt even introduce you as a parent.
ABC is a proper tribalist, the police is a police and called a civil servant. Even if Kanganja Is from western or sothern he can only perform his duties