Zambia Police Chief Kakoma Kanganja accused of failing to Enforce Court Orders

The Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) has accused Zambia Police of failing to enforce the court orders the party obtained.

In a statement to the media and the party cited other cases where the police chief has failed to enforce court orders despite being given the necessary documentation.

The party accused Lusaka Province Commissioner of Police Nelson Phiri of issuing a permit to Mr Nakachinda to hold a meeting as ‘MMD National Secretary’ despite the court judgment.

The party said that failure by Police to enforce court judgments will understandably lead to the hiring of gangs to enforce Court Orders if the police continue to refuse to protect them.

Below is the full MMD Statement

By Alexander Miti

I cannot agree more with Counsel Dickson Jere (Former Press Aide to H.E President Rupiah B Banda), on the issue of the failures and weaknesses of the Police under Inspector General Kakoma Kanganja.

Jere wrote…. (His facebook page)

“_Something is amiss with our police. And the top command seem not bothered with their inability to protect citizens. Just few weeks ago, an officer from the Sheriffs of Zambia office was badly attacked by suspected cadres when he tried to enforce a Court Order – the Inspector General of Police is very much aware of this incident. And he is quiet!_”

It is true that the level of lawlessness that we are now witnessing in our society is due, in part, to the weak leadership being provided by the Inspector General of Police. He is at ease and is not bothered by the wrong indices increasing on his watch.

Our experience with the IG is similar to that of Mr Dickson Jere. After the High Court held in our favour and nullified the illegal Convention organised by Mr Nakachinda and others, it became necessary to enlist the assistance of the Police Command in Lusaka and across the nation to assist with the recovery of Party property which is in the hands of unauthorized individuals. From nowhere, Lusaka Province Commisioner of Police (ComPol) Nelson Phiri halted the exercise and instead started demanding for a “court order” (very laughable). Then he went on to try to set up a meeting with Mr Nakachinda (who he was friends with) to try and resolve issues away from the Judgement of the High Court or which may not have been addressed by the Judgement. ComPol Phiri just refused to accept the Judgement of the High Court and wanted it reinterpreted. That has remained his position to this very day.

While all this was happening, ComPol Phiri issued a permit to Nakachinda to hold a meeting as ‘MMD National Secretary’. It did not matter how many times he was reminded that what he was authorising for his friend Nakachinda was illegal. He just used his uniform and rank to let it happen.

It appears that, as long as you have friends in the Police Command, it does not matter, if you have offended the law and even if there is a court ruling against you, you will be allowed a go Scot free.

When the matter was reported to the IG, he was simply unable to provide leadership. He is so comfortable in his air conditioned office to be bothered by small things of law enforcement. He only moves to escort the President here and there that is all. He could not even guide his clearly compromised Commisioner. The IG is sleeping on duty and criminals are running the show.

Only the IG and Commisioner Phiri have not heard about the ruling of the High Court in the MMD case. Even though IG was among the first people we availed the full Judgement of the High Court, he still does not know its contents. The only version that matters to the IG and to his Lusaka Province Commissioner is the one Nakachinda gives them.

Well, it is not difficult to understand why Dickson Jere says, “People will opt to hire gangs to enforce Court Orders if the police continue to refuse to protect them”.

Mr Kangaja and Mr Phiri are incompetent. They do not belong to the top circle of the profession. They are fragile. Now we see why Chilufya Tayali dragged Mr Kanganja to court.

For 3 years we tried to understand the Police Command’s reasoning with regard to our party. Their argument was always that Mr Mutati’s name was at the Registrar of Societies. But now after the matters were settled by the High Court and the Register at the Registrar of Societies rectified, we just cannot believe the incompetence. There can only be one explanation, either these are political operatives or they have a bad habit of conniving with lawbreakers to circumvent the law.

We may soon have no option but to cite both the IG and his ComPol for Lusaka for contempt together with their friend Nakachinda.

Well, the darkness is fading away and the dawn is soon coming.