Friday, March 29, 2024

Senior Chief Mukuni calls on donors to halt funding to ECZ

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Senior Chief Mukuni of the Leya people in Southern Province has demanded that the donor community withholds funding to the Electoral Commission of Zambia until it adheres to benchmarks that will deliver a credible election next year.
Chief Mukuni is concerned that unless stringent conditions are laid out to ensure that the ECZ adheres to specific benchmarks that guarantee delivery of credible elections, the efforts of the donor community will be a wasted effort.
He has since demanded that the ECZ should not discard the current voter register, collaborate with the Ministry of Home Affairs in the issuance of National Registration Cards and bring to an end hate speech and political violence.
Last month, the United Nations Development Programme and its cooperating partners among them European Union, USAID and Germany in collaboration with ECZ launched the ‘Strengthening Democracy in Zambia’ project providing financial support to building capacity and strengthen inclusive participation ahead of next year’s poll.
Below is the full statement 
Press statement for immediate release from Senior Chief Mukuni.
6th November 2020
DONOR COMMUNITY MUST ATTACH ECZ FUNDING TO SPECIFIC CONDITIONS
In October 2020, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and its cooperating partners among many, the European Union, Germany, UK, Ireland, USAID and France, in collaboration with the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), launched the ‘Strengthening Democracy in Zambia’, project which inter-alia undertakes to provide financial support that would assist the Commission in building capacity and strengthen inclusive participation, and civic engagement of all stakeholders in readiness for the 2021 elections.
The funds totalling US$13.2 out of which 80% has already been raised, will undoubtedly go a long way in providing necessary resources to boost the operations of the ECZ. It also underscores the donor community’s commitment and desire that Zambia achieves free, fair and transparent 2021 election that will reflect the aspirations of the Zambian people, and meet International standards of a credible electoral process.
The donor community must be lauded for this generous gesture. I however wish to express concern that unless stringent conditions are laid out to ensure that the ECZ adheres to specific benchmarks that guarantees delivery of a free and fair election, the magnanimity of the donor community through this generous act, will not yield citizens high expectations and will be a wasted effort.
In that regard, I call upon all stakeholders among many, the Church Mother Bodies, the Civil Society, Labour and Student Movement, Law Association of Zambia and the Opposition Alliances, to rise to the occasion and exert pressure on the donor community to undertake to release the funds, on if ECZ complies to stakeholders and citizens’ demands on the following thorny issues;
1) The voter registration exercise. The unilateral decision by ECZ to deregister the old voters’ roll in preference for a new register that will undeniably defranchise millions is unrealistic, unreasonable and uncalled for. It should be vehemently opposed, rejected forthwith and immediately addressed by the ECZ.
2) The issuance of National Registration Cards. This is basically a conveyance for citizens to register to vote, is directly linked to the electoral process. The insistence by the ECZ to insulate themselves out of this responsibility is unconvincing, and as a matter of fact reckless. EZC must collaborate with the Ministry of Home Affairs in ensuring as many citizens as possible obtain NRCs to enable them to vote.
3) Public Order Act. The ECZ must invoke necessary powers that it possesses under the Act, by ensuring the Police provides equal and fair opportunities to political parties to meet citizens and canvass for support without arbitrary arrests or threats of arrest of opposition party leaders and supporters. Currently the opposition faces arrests, intimidation and all manner of harassment from both the Police and ruling party cadres.
4) Political violence. The ECZ must vigorously engage the Zambia Police and political parties in ensuring that violence is nipped in the bud, regardless of whether these cadres are from the opposition or ruling party. Evidence is abound where the Police have turned a blind eye on violence perpetrated by the governing party cadres while ironically arresting the victims of the violence. This is unacceptable and in the long term compromises national security.
5) Hate speech. The ECZ have a statutory duty to ensure canvassing for support by political parties must be within acceptable norms that must not compromise decency. ECZ must collaborate with Police to curtail hate speech based on ethnicity regardless of who says it. Currently hate speech directed at certain sections of the communities carried out by institutional office holders is rife. This has potential to cause huge damage to Zambia’s unitary status and must not be allowed to continue.
It is in view of the foregoing that I call upon all stakeholders to strongly lobby the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and its cooperating partners to ensure no funds are released until the ECZ adheres to the above critical benchmarks. It is very much within the power of ECZ to stop this.
Senior Chief Mukuni of the Leya people of Kazungula, Livingstone and Zimba Districts and all the Bene Mukuni.

36 COMMENTS

  1. “DONOR COMMUNITY MUST ATTACH ECZ FUNDING TO SPECIFIC CONDITIONS.”
    At no point does the chief state that donor funding must be halted.

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  2. I , too, support UPND but Mukuni should have to choose between being a chief or a politician. This is not bravery, it’s partisan politics. Shame.

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  3. Chief Mukuni should have castigated his subjects in UPND who categolically stated that the party can only be headed by a Tonga.Upto now he has remained mute and by implication is in full support of the tribal administration of UPND.

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  4. Most people are complaining about the pandemic disaster,they can not afford $500 there is no job so I saw a review on investment tried it with $1,000. 00 even though they are lower cost of investment. starting from the range of $500 but I got a multiplication of my funds to over $10,000.00 in a week time it’s magical because I never believe until I gave it a trial that is why I need to post an epistle of this online.
    If you are scared to invest a little bit of your money? Why you make excuses to someone else who is getting paid!!!!! invest in your future so interested investor should not hesitate to reach them via
    WhatsApp: ? ?+17864803566?
    WhatsApp: ? ?+17864803566?

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  5. Useless Chief. He is just a mad cadre. He is more concerned about the directorship in the hotel they stole from Zambians

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  6. Mad tribal Chief. He knows his cohorts Hichilema and UPND cheated a lot in Southern province by transporting Tongas to get more than one NRC each and registering more than once as voters, in addition to registering under age children for the 2016 elections so that the dull boy Hichilema, could win presidential elections based on one province. You cannot be two times luck. Your Hichilema will not have those fake votes he had in 2016, anymore with a new a voters register in place in 2021! Its all over for your boy Hichilema, he will never get 44,000 fake votes in Dundumwezi with new the register! Chief, your tribal stance just reduces your standing in society especially when you are one of the chiefs from a small tribe like Tonga. Just forget Donors won’t hear you. You represent a very…

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  7. You represent a very small tribe. Bemba is spoken in Northern, Muchinga, Luapula, North-Western, Copperbelt, Central and Lusaka provinces, while Nyanja is spoken in Eastern, Lusaka, Western and Southern provinces. Tonga is just spoken in Southern province only. Hichilema tried to speak Bemba two amounts ago, and the only word he knows is an insult! What a poor politician!

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    • Point of correction, nyanja is also spoken in all police stations and all other defence forces in Zambia.

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  8. The problem with our system is that chiefs do not have a job description. I thought our chiefs needed a job description close to that of a pastor in church. Chiefs have a chiefdom they operate under. As soon as a chief starts passing comments about other chiefs’ subjects, just know he or she is a misguided chief. Let me put it this way,, a Luvale chief surely should not worry about the hippos of the Luangwa river just as a Ngoni chief should not worry about over fishing in lake Mweru wantipa .

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    • I concur with you. These chiefs they don’t understand their area of administration. Look at the UK, though queen is head of state, she has nothing to do with political maters. This is why the royal family continue to exist today as they don’t encroach into politics or comment anything to do with politics.

  9. HH should make mukuni a running mate. He has worked had for party more than any MP. With him as running mate, HH can win

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  10. EVERY TIME HE OPENS HIS MOUTH MALICE SPEWS OUT FROM THIS ARCH TRIBALIST AND UPND SURROGATE.
    HE IS CONTEMPTIBLE

  11. EVERY TIME HE OPENS HIS MOUTH MALICE SPEWS OUT FROM THIS ARCH TRIBALIST AND UPND SURROGATE.
    HE IS UTTERLY CONTEMPTIBLE

  12. This cheap Cadre UPND chief should be ashamed.

    We call on Tourists and Donors to stop funding the city of Livingstone until the chief adheres to benchmarks against sh*tting his pants on the bungee rope.

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  13. Covid-19 money has been stolen by PF. All what they know is stealing. PF is for thieves, murderers and dangersous criminals. Bring covid-19 money and material back

  14. This is a good submission by the chief, in a democratic suspension we would ordinarily be doing this. However what the chief has forgotten is that his subject Hakainde chi Tom was has withdrawn his MPs from debating these things in parliament, these are the people entrusted with the responsibility of making laws that should guide the various organs of governance including the ECZ. He just encourages the ECZ to work with home affairs without any specifics. On public order act the chief is oblivious to the fact that his subject Hakainde shot down the move to change that act. All in all we see the partisan approach by the chief, perhaps drafted on his behalf by his invisible colleagues.

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  15. This chief is ka useless one. Ka chief that has lost respect from the people of Zambia. Ka chief that stole a hotel from Zambians in collaboration with HH. This is ka chief is mad.

  16. Kekekekekeke this chief’ee also! Very childish. Chiefdoms should also introduce voting and allow the same ECZ administer those.

    By the way KZ, what does “fuseke” in English mean?
    I just hit a like to give you 15.

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  17. Very useless headman this idyot! A cheap cadre,no wonder I love my Litunga! You don’t get to hear him ranting like a rabid dog!!

  18. Chief Mikuni is like Trump, a businessman. All he cares about are his business prospects. Hakainde is his business partner. He is in UPND for this reason. The Toka-Leya people’s interests are the last thing on his mind. The tribe should do a Biden and get rid of this Trump clone.

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