Thursday, March 28, 2024

Zambia Police rule out Electric Fault or Accident in Lusaka City Market Fire

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Zambia Police Service Inspector General Kakoma Kanganja
Zambia Police Service Inspector General Kakoma Kanganja

Zambia Police Service Inspector General Kakoma Kanganja has revealed that electric fault or accident has been ruled out in the fire that burned down Lusaka City market.

Speaking to the media in Lusaka when he updated the nation on the on going investigation that has left thousands of traders in despair, police Inspector General Kakoma Kangaja said joint investigations carried out by a team of officers from the Fire Brigade, Zambia Police and ZESCO have revealed that the fire at Lusaka City Market was caused by people with ill intentions.

Mr. Kanganja further said that the issue of electric fault or the possibility of an accident has been ruled out because the stand were the fire started from has had no electricity supply for many days.

“The cause of fire is a deliberate ignition. We eliminate the possibility of electrical fault as the stand were the inferno started (stand 238) had no power on the day and days before,” Mr Kangaja said.

The Police Chief also announced the arrest of more than 11 suspected Arsonists in connection with the burning of City Market, adding that investigations in the matter have advanced and that the perpetrators will soon appear in court.

Mr. Kanganja has since directed all Provincial Police Commissioners to ensure there is increased police presence in all vulnerable points and warned criminals behind the destruction of public property that their days are numbered and that the law will soon catch up with them.

Meanwhile Mr. Kanganja said police have no reason to fail the people of Zambia now that they have been given more powers following the invocation of Article 31 by President Edgar Lungu. He said police will now be able to carry out investigations in a very efficient and conclusive manner.

Mr. Kanganja said during this period, police will regulate and prohibit publications and dissemination of matters that are pre-judicial to public safety. He said those who are in a habit of spreading information that threatens National security will be visited by the law.

Mr. Kanganja emphasized that the country is not under a state of emergency and people should continue going about their business.

86 COMMENTS

    • The case may never be solved and I fear innocent people will be sacrificed. It’s normal to issue a verdict of “not enough resources” to arrive at a conclusive evidence. We live in a highly data and video driven digital age and I am afraid the government should cut it’s losses and invest in CCTV for the future. Lessons must be learned.

    • Abena Nez, bucket brains etc you guys were dancing when you heard of the fire, you were overjoyed at the suffering of others. Wanka like lilo you too are in that group..soon you blood thirsty animals will face devine justice that will come from Heaven! God will judge you and your co-conspirators for these cowardly actions!

    • Why does this remind me of Chiluba and the Zero option nonsense? When Kaunda was accused of treason locked upbat mukobeko and several places were bombed.
      Todate we have not received any proper evidence or explaination as to what happened even without article 31 the police already have enough powers!

    • HOW CAN MORE THAN 11 PEOPLE BE INVOLVED IN BURNING THE MARKET IF INDEED IT WAS SABOTAGE? IT IS ANOTHER PLOY BY PF TO BLAME THE OPPOSITION AND ARREST INONCENT PEOPLE. IT IS THE STATE THAT PLANNED AND BURNED THE MARKET TO JUSTIFY THE DECLARATION OF THE STATE OF EMERGENCY. THE PF LEADERSHIP IS WICKED AND HAS NO KIND FEELINGS FOR THE PEOPLE.

    • Kanganja you are wasting public resources, the President already knows who committed these crimes. Why are you trying to be or seem to be relevant?

    • – Only PF Cadres & PF Police were present when the fire started.

      – No f00l would start a fire at 05.00am when the the market is full of PF cadres & sweepers.

      – The fire case is very similar to the HH treason case: There’s no evidence & they only exist in the heads of the MALAWIAN ISLAMIC DICTATOR & his worshipers.

    • @James Buga, it obviously reminds you of Chiluba and The Zero Option because times don’t change in your world. Did you ever witness or hear KK engaging in road rage with Chiluba? Was it not HH who predicated Armageddon? And today you ba Buga should say the current spate of fires resembles Chiluba’s Zero Option.

    • We all know that your report has to line up with the one that has already been issued by your boss EL, How can you go against your boss. Some of us with brains know that you guys have a plain and we also know that the fire was started by some one who is trained.

    • PF’s MATAK0 Politics of abuse of Police, abuse of Judiciary, abuse of ZRA to clamp on opponents will only come to an end when the Malawian Moslem Chawa Dictator is EUTHANIZED.

    • PF not good for Zambia. City market burned to ashes zoona, maybe Simoson building atleast. I remember a stand in the market i used to buy cassettes from.

    • ZAMBIA, LAND WHERE THIEVES INVESTIGATE INNOCENT PEOPLE. INVESTORS CANT TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STANDUP COMEDY VS REALITY, FREEDOM AND JUSTICE.

    • The PF government is the judge and the jury. They should have allowed independent investigators to investigate the cause of that fire at the SOWETO market. I have very little faith in Me. Kanganja’s and his Police Force which is laced by PF cadres.

    • Even if they are PF ????? And this was a PF plan to justify a State of Emergency?

      It will never happen. Impartiality by the PFolice and Justice from the courts has disappeared from Zambia.

  1. What a dull police chief. He has arrested people but cannot say anything of what happened immediately after PF police,PF Caders, and Market security police opened the market.

    • Ofcourse who’d go against the conclusion of Edgar Lungu and Inonge Wina? Professionalism indeed and no one could see the eleven people getting into the market to gut it! Suffering of the innocents, police instead of acting on instructions of “The Master” should reveal who the arrested suspects are and the charge slapped on them! There is no truth in all that Kanganja is saying for one thing he forgets is that the Zambian streets are full of post Grade 12 qualifications holders with analytical minds despite hunting for jobs! The police are better off admitting that they have no capacity to make any meaningful investigations of what led to the fire other than what the president and his vice told them. Does the police have a specialized unit for investigating arson cases? If not the cause…

    • contd…. of the market fire is inconclusive and therefore Kanganja’s statement is just to please his boss!

  2. We all know Akainde and GBM hired impoverished youths to incite the poor traders. Akainde was hoping for a show of Armageddon

  3. Unfortunately for Akainde no Zambians love him more than their freedom. in the end he’s rotting alone in Mukobeko.

  4. “…The Police Chief also announced the arrest of more than 11 suspected Arsonists in connection…”

    We all remember bweengwa where this same IG and lungu told us highly trained UPND commandos had kidnapped PF and GRZ officials only it was lie.

    We remember Inonge winas house in mongu supposedly burned by UPND…..only that was a lie.

    And who can forget GBM training youth to use boxing gloves and golf clubs to overthrow GRZ……

  5. At least they’re now trying to use ‘Bishop’ Telescope Mpundu to dialogue. Many people tried to advise Akainde about his disrespect for the President, ZNBC, judges and courts.
    The rat has now been tamed and wants to dialogue

  6. Even my 5 years old son knows that city market fire,burning of zesco pylon in ndola,cutting of zesco poles in kafue,etc are works of evil upnd blind followers.just recall how Larry Mweetwa (a die hard tonga tribalist) celebrated as soon as city market start burning!!HOW I WISH OUR POLICE WORKED LIKE THOSE IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES BECAUSE BY NOW UPND LEADERS SPONSORING THOSE EVIL ACTS COULD HAVE BEEN EXPOSED!!
    check how “a tonga cadre-spaka like lilo”,is ranting in desperation!!
    Bembas say “AKANYA KAMILANDU KALAILETELELA!!”spaka like lilo is trying to defend something undefendable!!!WE ALL KNOW HOW EVIL UPND IS AND SADLY THESE EVIL ACTIONS WILL COST UPND DEARLY IN 2021 AND EVEN BEYOND-MARK MY WORDS!!

    • Tribalists like you are killing our country. What have Tongas done to you. My mom is Tonga & is a wonderful person. I can”t stand your ridiculing her & her people day-in and day-out. This has to come to an end. Do we have a government sure!!? Kanganja where are you using those powers if not to get chaps like this?

    • THE PF EVIL AND WICKED ACTS AGAISNT INNOCENT PEOPLE INSTEAD OF DEVELOPING THE COUNTRY WILL ONE DAY BOOMERANG IN THEIR FACES. THEY WILL BE CAUGHT IN THEIR OWN TRAP. THESE WICKED AND EVIL ACTS ARE NOT AFFECTING MEMEBERS OF THE OPPOSITION ONLY BUT ALL ZAMBIANS, INCLUDING THE PF MEMBERS THEMSELVES. THEY WILL EVENTUALLY CATCH UP WITH LUNGU HIMSELF.

  7. My natural justice tells me UPND and HH are behind fire in zambia. “Ubushiku bwaluba umukote elyo icimbwi cinye fwi”

    However article 31 is the way forward. No reconciliation. If UPND and HH want reconciliation, they should 1st accept and apologize to the people of Zambia for burning City market.

    Failure to do that no reconciliation.

  8. Oh so the police have now become experts in fire analysis? Is this not the job of the experts in fire regulations to do? Who cab have confidence in lungus police force ? A biased dictatorship kikiki. To hell. It would have been better if lungu and this same police officer burnt and not poor people’s property.

    • How is the ***** doing in Mukobeko new home? Is he on Fb from new home so that we learn how life is there? Tumanga!!!

  9. Only a fooool can trust this Lazy Lungu stooge…i remember Nawakwi saying this Bum jumped all the ranks to be promoted to IG…where is the Fire Chief to give us his side of investigation. This fooool is arresting people and torturing them indefinitely under this State of Emergence when everyone knows that this was all staged

    • Some foools here will disappear going by there comments. We won’t miss them anyway. All eV. I’l publications will be investigated and culprits brought to book for next 90 days. Watch your fingers on the keypads.

  10. It would have been better if lungu and this same police officer burnt and not poor people’s property. NEZ BURNING IS NOT A SOLUTION TO YOUR LOOSING PRESIDENT . WE IT IS VERY IS FOR YOU BURN PROPERTIES AND YOUR FELLOW HUMAN. BUT LUNGU DOES NOT BURN HE IS BUILDING

  11. What’s the point of investigating when the President already concluded that it was arson. Well thank you for reading the script you received from State house but it was not needed.

  12. And do you really need a state of emergency for the police officers to operate efficiently? Really, the police are telling us that they couldn’t investigate this matter without a state of emergency?

  13. Mr. Kanganja said during this period, police will regulate and prohibit publications and dissemination of matters that are pre-judicial to public safety. He said those who are in a habit of spreading information that threatens National security will be visited by the law.

    So not only don’t we have freedom of assembly, we also do not have freedom of the press. But people swear up and down we are not in a dictatorship.

    • Freedom of speech and assembly are supposed to be enjoyed within the confines of the law. I am a law abiding citizen and enjoy full freedom. Why can’t you be like me.

  14. So what are we waiting for? Just cut off the hands of the evil donkeys and send them back to their mothers.

  15. Lungu seemed to know there was to be a fire a week before the incident, he even blamed a certain chief.

    No one has been arrested ,all lies ,because these fires were a PF operation.

  16. Lessons are never learnt. So far cases in court are all proving political than criminal. State witnesses/police are being roasted in courts by defence lawyers. We wish the IG and dances could in these cases stand to testify. Most nonsense wud end!

  17. When Mwanawasa passed on and elections were held, Zambians (including those who later changed into Donkeys) complained of “too much” of elections. The same when Michael Sata passed on. The point is that Zambians detest frequent Presidential elections. They want to vote once every 5 years and go back to their business. They dont look kindly on parties that want to remain in election mood perpertually. That is what UPNDonkeys should understand why Armageddon or Volcanoes dont work in this oasis of peace Zambia.

    • @terrible you are a lost soul blinded by hate and bask in bliss of ignorance take off your prejudicial glasses and think rationally maybe just maybe you will see how these events are a manipulation of the system to fit those in power and step on toes of opposition to have ultimate power

    • This “Terrible/Njimbu” is an embacile, was a total waste of nine months. Should have been aborted to save us from his hate filled delusional rants about HH and Tongas.

    • PFDonkeys burnt the market trying to prove that they can get away with anything under Lungu. Just recently the PFDonkeys attacked mourners at ?eopards Hill. Why they went to the funeral only the devil knows. Now you all know who is capable of starting fire in a market

  18. Still not adding up! What credible conclusion can we get from individuals who issued initial statements before investigations could be concluded? This is just an attempt to save face and the report must be made to align with original statements that justified the SOE thing. We’ll never know the truth!

  19. Says this incompetent political stooge and his biased police force. Reading the amateurish and contradiction in this statement is staggering. So electricity was being supplied directly to one shop and not the entire building? And the fact there was no power supplied to the stand makes it even more dangerous of the potential for an electric fault via a surge if power suddenly got connected.

    And how did they rule out any other accident? It’s not electricity that can cause a fire accident. How did they arrest suspects when they are still investigating the cause?

    @ ‘national security’ my a$s!

    • @24 I couldnt have put it any better. This cop cannot even explain the findings as to why that particular shop did not have power for 3 days up to the date of the inferno. Surely, are cursed to have such people in leadership. Zambia the mediocre country!

    • And the fact that that shop had no power raises more questions. Have these guys interrogated the shop owner to know what possible alternative power sources he or she was using during those three days? The answer could be right there.Sadly in Africa, we are quick to find someone to blame. Typical village mentally. Even when the cause is Malaria, they will blame someone who last argued with the deceased. Shame!

  20. The times of evil are upon us, Now this damn cop is telling us not to talk. Hell NO! we shall continue to resist evil. We will talk!

  21. The Catholic fathers are trying exorcism of the spirit the wrong way! Dialogue with evil influenced by an evil spirit!

    • You cant hide your own “wickedness” by accusing other people of being witches when in fact your own actions are a definition of greed and evil.
      You can full some people sometime, but you cant fool them all. Even the dumbest will soon realized they have tricked. All that humbleness has been a mask.

    • You cant hide your own “wickedness” by accusing other people of being witches when in fact your own actions are a definition of greed and evil.
      You can full some people sometime, but you cant full them all. Even the dumbest will soon realized they have tricked. All that humbleness has been a mask.

  22. You cant hide your own “wickedness” by accusing other people of being witches when in fact your own actions are a definition of greed and evil.
    You can full some people sometime, but you cant fool them all. Even the dumbest will soon realized they have tricked. All that humbleness has been a mask.

  23. Sounds like a speech that was locked away in the drawer and has just been ‘unearthed’. Where is the forensic evidence? The fact that the stand thought to be where the fire started did not have electricity does not prove anything. In fact, there may have been a sudden temporary surge of power. Or what if someone inadvertently flung a cigarette butt over the wall? Then he claims that the invocation of Article 31 will now enable investigations to be ‘efficient and conclusive’. So the only time the Police can be efficient is when there is a threatened emergency? What has the Police been doing all this time? An IG who does nothing professional but just lick, lick, lick.

  24. 18.1 HH oval head green fly.

    “…..I am a law abiding citizen and enjoy full freedom. Why can’t you be like me…”

    No…..you lick PFs corrupt brutal a.ss.

  25. Good work. Please bring these culprits forward. We want to bonfire their houses in return. JOKE, JOKE EVERYONE!

    • Mourning in Zambia is now a ritual and involves beating those who are bereaved

  26. police should lock up guys that are spreading fake news s on the internet and those that are insulting police and the government of the day tracked down and be brought to court under new police powers

  27. This is very convenient. The stand had had no electricity for a long time, then there is a fire and immediately the cause is ruled out as an electrical fault. And Zambians can take all this sh^t . They can lay the matter to rest quickly by showing us the people you have arrested, but this is just another lie, no one has been arrested. Do Zambians think that if any UNPD cadre was arrested the police could continue to dilly dally in showing them to the press? Come on Zambians wake up!

  28. Martin Luther said “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter – Rights and Freedoms”. These must never be allowed to be taken away in the name of TSOE or whatever they want to call it. Are they trying to tell us to stop thinking?

  29. The upnd bloggers above are trying to discredit the IG so he can look incompetent. They know the police are on to something here but to them, they are so intelligent the rest of Zambians are dull and they are just kaponyas, even the police. The fact that police have proved and have evidence that rules out an electric fault gives them a chill in the back. Are the kaponyas getting it right?? Some people are on record of declaring fatwas on our land, ammagedon and volcanos. Is this coincidence?? Some chiefs are even threatening ministers with supernatural declarations?? fact is THE CULPRITS DAYS ARE RUNNING OUT, THEY WILL BE BROUGHT TO BOOK!!!!!!!!

  30. Incompetence is what is displayed by the police chief here. He lamentably fails to tell us what caused the fire. In countries with professional policemen we would have been told “the cause of the fire was a chemical called chlorine trifluoride, or benzine, or paraffin, and because of the fact that this isn’t a common chemical to be found in a market like this, we have assumed someone deliberately brought it inside for malicious purposes” or something of the sort mwebantu. Not just: “the cause of fire is a deliberate ignition”
    What kind of deliberate ignition? How have you come to the conclusion that the cause was a deliberate ignition? Investigation is about logic not whims
    The logic behind your conclusions must be explained to the public. The news reporters also need to be…

  31. The news reporters also need to be probing not just swallowing all the twaddle and regurgitating it to us.

  32. This is the most useless statement ever in the history of zambia police in such a tragedy which the public deserved to really know the truth of what actually happened that might have led to the inferno and the market. One would have expected the IG to before anything else explain to the Zambian people the operation of the market.who guards the market and what time..it’s the police his own people.who are the first people to have full access to the market before it’s official opened..it’s his own people the police who opens the market as early as 5am when most people are still in bed.who cleans the market before it’s is opened to the general marketèers and the public….its the Lusaka city council workers and the deliberately appointed pf cadres in the presence of Kanganja men..the…

  33. Yaba. Perhaps we should invite colonialists back at least they knew how to police investigate. Now when are you going to arrest “a named chief for acts of terrorism” as you announced a few weeks back?

  34. Real culprits are the PFDonkeys wj o attacked mourners at leopards hill.
    Uneducated fools

    • Nero also burnt Rome to justify his persecution of Christians! If the PaF youth chairman who was among those that guard citi market refuted claims of sabotage, you wonder what methodology these investors are using. We are looking very bad in the eyes of the international community because this has already caught their attention and they must be saying let’s see how Zambians go about such investigations. Next someone will do a good business plan and you will hear such and such is in the country to train our police on how to carry out a fire investigation. Shameful but I think this training is seriously required.

  35. UPNDonkeys, please please please donkeys, ask Larry Mweetwa, isnt he one of you donkeys? I for one did not know about the City Market fire until I read Larry early in the morning.

    Well soon afterwards poor Larry Mweetwa was lambasted ffrom Mukobeko for his diarhea like mouth and instructed to pull down his post as this was supposed to be a covert operation while someone was calling for unconditional dialogue.

  36. Zambians should stop supporting politicians and their useless policies just on the basis of their tribe. This fire issue is getting so boring and backward to listen to !!! Surely we all know that before you release any verdict you should have gathered credible evidence which includes cctv, witnesses, why that area had no electricity, etc… electric fault? Don’t be insulting Larry M and HH, don’t we have the right to oppose what we don’t desire? It’s a democratic country, isn’t it ? Please argue intelligently and stop putting insults and tribalistic nonsense on this platform.

  37. Isaiah 10:1-3New International Version (NIV)

    10 Woe to those who make unjust laws,
    to those who issue oppressive decrees,
    2 to deprive the poor of their rights
    and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,
    making widows their prey
    and robbing the fatherless.
    3 What will you do on the day of reckoning,
    when disaster comes from afar?
    To whom will you run for help?
    Where will you leave your riches?

  38. This ambiguity is what confuses people, lets be clear. Are we in the state of emergency or not. Don’t tell us about the limitations on freedom of speech/expression and again, the same mouth, says, people should go on doing things as business as usual!!

    Why make a pronouncement if you wanted the citizens to be conducting their routine business??

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