Thursday, March 28, 2024

Kanganja’s contract is about to expire without convincing proof of improvement

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By Venus N Msyani,Concerned Citizen

Zambia Inspector General of Police contract about to expire without convincing proof of improvement

On Wednesday, December 23, 2020, two civilians were killed in Lusaka as the United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema appeared before the police to face police interrogation.

The incident forced Zambian president Edgar Lungu to make some changes to the Zambia Police Service command. The president sounded not not happy with then eroding peoples’ confidence in the Zambia police.

The Deputy Inspector General of Police Bonnie Kapeso was dropped. The Inspector-General of Police Kakoma Kanganja was given a six months contract to prove his competence.

According to president Lungu, Kanganja’s six months contract was to allow enough time for IG to transform the police and regain peoples’ confidence.

It was not an easy contract as the Inspector General would have to serve without fear or favor. Something that could not happen without offending the Patriotic Front (PF) cadres or even the president.

It could be a reason why the contract has entered its sixth month and IG Kanganja seem stack on the same spot. No change to show. If any, not enough to regain peoples’ confidence.

The just ended nonviolence nomination filing process for the upcoming August 12 election has earned the police a thank you from the opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema.

“Zambia Police, thank you for maintaining law and order during our nominations filing. Nkani Izibika. We shall not forget you Ku Canaan,” Hakainde posted on Facebook on May 20.

Again, the United Party for National Development leader Hichilema has just thanked police on his Facebook post:

“Special thanks to the police officers who were assigned to police our visit in Kanyama for the professional conduct they exhibited,” posts Hakainde to thank police for peaceful visit to Kanyama in Lusaka where he went to check on victims of PF cruelty.

It is a positive thing but not strong enough to overshadow the favor that PF cadres continue to enjoy from Kanganja and the police. Even when they act above the law in day light, Kanganja seem to ignore.

The ambiguity in the Zambian law has led to questioning of president Lungu eligibility to contest the upcoming August 12th elections.

The Legal Resource Foundation has taken the matter to court and is being represented by State Counsel John Sangwa.

Lusaka Province PF chairman Kennedy Kamba is not happy with Sangwa’s decision to represent the Legal Resource Foundation and has called for PF to treat him as a political opponent.

Sangwa takes it as a threat and many Zambians agree with him and are calling for police to act but in vain.

Threatening peoples’ lives is not free speech but a crime. Kanganja can’t be silence on Kamba’s behavior and expect to regain peoples’ confidence. His silence is proof of favoritism.

Zambian are very much aware that if Kamba was from the opposition, he would be in trouble with the police. Probably spend more than 48 hours in custody before appearing in court. Another area which Kanganja has completely failed to transform.

Covid-19 is another issue. The PF government is trying to use Covid-19 restrictions to stop the opposition from selling out their manifestos and Kanganja is openly trying to help actualize the plan.

The interesting part is that Kanganja wants to go the extra mile. PF is pushing to ban rallies and the Inspector General is pushing for Zambia to go into the August election without door-to-door campaigns!

Acting like he is not interested in winning public confidence.

Unfortunately, whether the Inspector General should go or stay after his contract expires is in the hands of president Edgar Lungu.

But still, it is possible to influence Lungu’s decision. Lusaka Times has a comment section. People should use it to help evaluate Inspector General Kanganja.

18 COMMENTS

  1. For sure, police need to be always professional in their duties. But, with Mr. Kanganja, something must be done. Police should be independent, they should just execute their duties independently. We do not want to see situations where there is even day light intimidation. Where is Zambia going? Is this what our beloved forefathers fought for? No!
    Be it with ruling or opposition party, police must act fairly. Completely fairly!

    It’s high time that the police service be reshaped.

    Very concerned citizen.

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  2. Kakoma Kanganja is simply put ,the Worst Police Inspector General ( P.I.G) in Zambia’s History.He has proved one thing & that is , he the integral part of the State Sponsored Violence machinery .A taxpayer paid PF Cadre with blood on his hands.
    We shall never forget those he slaughtered,Sama Sama,Joseph Kaunda,Vespers just to mention a few.
    The time has come to retire this vicious old Crocodile back to Mwinilunga.

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  3. IGP Kakoma Kanganja ‘s contract was a pact to serve the PF party but stick Zambian taxpayers with the bill.Good riddance at the end.

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  4. Kakoma Kanganja is a PF Cadre who remains I.G with Lungu’s blessings. Kanganja is doing ECL’s bidding by stopping Opposition Parties from freely Campaigning during the Campaign Period. How can Kanganja demand for Police Permits during the Campaign Period? Parties should sell their Manifestos and messages without hinderance from the Police. On August 12 we must send Kanganja packing together with ECL his Appointing Authority. ECL and PF have failed and must be voted out on August 12. ECL will try to rig these Elections but this time around we will deal with the Election Riggers.

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  5. Thanks for the reminder about those reforms. It looks like even Kakoma Kanganja has also forgotten about what he’s supposed to be doing. What is his conscience?

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  6. His is just a difficult job in a difficilI environment. Lets be fair and objective. Where is Kapeso?

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  7. Don’t blame Kanganja – blame his boss. The worst president the country has ever had is the cause of all the misery!

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  8. Kangaja should go jail for using the zambia police as a PF weapon to decimate democratic rights of Zambians……..

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  9. My comment on IG’s performance? Lacklustre at best.
    I honestly fail to understand why it is so difficult for the top police officer to simply issue a circular to his officers directing them not to arrest anyone for over 48 hours without charge. Better yet, to hold a press conference denouncing such violations of Human Rights, how is that difficult?
    He just makes comments to the effect that such instances are regrettable and that’s it.
    Secondly, the man is losing dignity if the only thing he can do is send warnings to everyone, whatever happened to community policing?

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  10. The first paragraph clearly states that two innocent people were killed because hh decided to defy rules and had cadres escort him to a police hearing. So how does this become kanganja fault? This is the problem when we have fooIish authors like this one above who think witj their tribe.fuseke

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  11. Does HH have any choice other than to respect our institutions? It is HH who started by calling our men and wemon in Uniform as ” Morons” he has also disparraged our courts as being compromised, the ECZ has not been spared either. All in all HH has no choice but to respect our institutions. The outdated style of rubbishing your own institution does not work, it may have worked for others in the past but it certainly wont work now.
    What HH needs more than ever before is to radically change his way of doing things, whether or not he will manage to do that before the August 12 elections and convince sufficient numbers of the electorate to win him citizenship at plot 1 only God knows. Lack of listening on the part of HH may cost him yet another election.

  12. Just look at that picture……..

    Lungu looks like a pimp expecting information from an exploited shiverring kanganja

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