By now, we are pretty sure Bright Nundwe, the newly elected MP for Chawama is done dusting his closet and itching to storm exclusive boutiques to replenish it with new designer suits and fancy shoes before laughing all the way to Manda Hill to sign up for a brand new ‘icipaso’ straight from the showroom!
Tough luck to all the losers….. including chancers such as Binwell Mpundu!
Anyway, this treatise seeks to encapsulate lessons, particularly the ruling party can learn from Chawama to avoid landing in the same ditch as we fast approach the 2026 general elections.
First things first: did the National Secretariat or party strategists take the trouble to interrogate and understand the history or indeed the dynamics of Chawama constituency post 2001 before putting the boots on the ground?
We deliberately choose to mention the said year because this is the period the country witnessed significant political developments in recent times which would greatly influence the direction our country would take, henceforth.
When President Chiluba attempted to adulterate the constitution to accommodate his insatiable appetite to run for a third term in the same year, a number of his cabinet colleagues, including his very own vice president, Gen. Christon Tembo, who also served as Chawama Member of Parliament, defied all the odds and emphatically said, “NO!” to the third term.
When this seemingly landed on deaf ears, Gen. Tembo along with 20 other MMD parliamentarians, including key cabinet ministers, resigned to form or join breakaway political parties. Gen. Tembo found a new home in the recently launched Forum for Development and Democracy (FDD).
Geoffrey Samukonga was adopted as the FDD’s torch bearer in the ensuing by-elections to fill up the occasioned vacancy in Chawama constituency.
As it were, FDD was seen to pose a serious threat to MMD’s hold on power. Since 2001 was an election year, a win for the infant opposition political party could’ve easily been interpreted as an endorsement for the opposition. And MMD wasn’t, of course, ready to see power easily slip off its fingers….. therefore, Chawama had to be defended at all costs; including the loss of blood!
Once the ruling party realised the odds favoured the opposition, it unleashed marauding political thugs in the area under the tutelage of one Michael Sata, a senior cabinet minister who would go on to become President.
Overnight, Chawama turned into a war zone! Violent party cadres armed with axes, spears and pangas and catapults went on rampage ruthlessly attacking people as well as torching vehicles!
According to eye witnesses, violence escalated when Minister-without-portfolio, Michael Sata led a gang of unruly ruling party supporters armed with machetes and stones on a tour of the 34 polling stations.
“The violence was engineered by the ruling party, and Michael Sata in particular, to create confusion and so enable MMD to tamper with the ballot boxes,” Ngande Mwanajiti, executive director of the Inter African Network for Human Rights and Development (Afronet) told the media. “MMD is responsible for all the political violence we have seen in recent weeks”.
FDD’s Samukonga went ahead to claim victory, of course.
By the time the 2006 general elections came calling, Sata’s Patriotic Front (PF) had already established itself as a formidable opposition political party in urban set ups. Sata had hastily formed his own political party after being ignored by President Chiluba as his successor. His party’s candidate in Chawama, Violet Sampa-Bredt would’ve little trouble sailing home to victory, effectively establishing the constituency as one of the party’s strongholds in the capital city.
And by the time the electorates trooped back to the polls during the 2011 general elections, another PF candidate, Edgar Lungu, would be thrust into the limelight as area MP!
When Lungu’s political fortunes suddenly changed for the better and he was catapulted into State House following the demise of the ailing President Sata in 2015,
Lawrence Sichalwe would find himself as MP on the PF ticket. He would cling on to the seat until he was arm twisted to pass on the mantle to Lungu’s daughter, Tasila prior to the 2021 general elections.
As fate would have it, Lungu would transition to the land of the dead while undergoing treatment in South Africa a few years later. Unfortunately, his family opted not to cooperate with the New Dawn Administration to have a state funeral for the former late President as so mandated by the law. This would of course result in contentious and prolonged court battles as either party sought one injunction after another.
In the long run, Tasila would end up losing her Parliamentary seat due to prolonged absence from the August house contrary to what the law stipulates, resulting in the recent by-election. And the rest is now history, as they say.
Anyhow, what’s our take away from the Chawama loss?
Without attempting to mince our words or sugar-coat anything, Chawama was handled haphazardly both before and during the elections:
1. Rolling-out the red carpet for Innocent Kalimanshi
As Innocent Kalimanshi was rejoining the ruling party, a red carpet was rolled-out for him with the UPND top brass, led by the Secretary General, Batuke Imenda, in attendance. Was that necessary?
One of the reasons the electorates flashed PF the ‘red card’ was caderism! Kalimanshi was the very epitome of caderism. He injured a lot of people not only in Chawama but Lusaka as a whole. Have the electorates forgiven him? What influence does Kalimanshi have in the area apart from amongst his fellow goons? Does Kalimanshi have what it takes to influence the youth or women in Chawama to vote for UPND? What message was he going to deliver to the people, if anything?
2. Exaggerated defectors
Before the Chawama by-election, UPND leaders addressed a number of rallies during which they always declared “thousands” had defected from the opposition to join the ruling party. Who physically took the trouble to take stock of the defectors? Would anyone be willing to avail such evidence? If indeed we had such record numbers joining the party at such a crucial moment, how come the opposition carried the day? We’ve seen that our leaders continue to make such ludicrous pronouncements the recent being in the Copperbelt!
3. Rewarding new comers
There were strong rumours circulating on social media that Kalimanshi was enticed and rewarded with an SUV before he could join. We’ve no means of verifying the authenticity of this suggestion. What we however know for a fact is that UPND has a tendency of neglecting old members but rather rewarding new ones! This can be very demotivating!
4. Pocketing campaign funds
It was rather embarrassing to learn that certain officials were pocketing campaign funds. To add salt to injury, there are also reports of someone diverting part of the carcass meant for the foot soldiers to their homes and 100 people sharing 2 chickens! Imwe, how do you dispatch foot soldiers in hostile enemy territory on empty stomachs and expect to win?
5. Eliminating formidable opponents
It’s now becoming fashionable in UPND to eliminate potential competitors from the race.
First and foremost, the adoption process in Chawama was quite shambolic! Initially, Potiphar Tembo who could have easily scooped the seat was somehow sent into foreign missions. A Katenga was then adopted but dropped shortly before roping in Morgan Muunda!
It seems this is becoming part of the game in UPND – eliminating potential formidable competitors! For instance, in Ndola Central, the DC m, a Mr. Phiri who could have easily been a better candidate was transferred to Kalulushi so as to pave way for a sitting MP….a cabinet minister! Equally surprising, the Kalulushi DC, Kelly Jibinga, who was curving a good name for himself by initiating numerous development projects was shunted to Chililabombwe to prevent him from standing! And in Kawambwa, Luapula province, local businessman and the people’s favourite, Wiza has just been sent to Angola as a diplomat so that he doesn’t pose a threat to the current MP.
Honestly, how can UPND expect to win the elections with such chicanery?
As we prepare for this year’s elections, we expect serious action! Heads must roll at the National Secretariat and the whip must equally be cracked in the provinces. The President and his political advisor MUST take charge of the party adoptions forthwith before we find ourselves in mwamoneni!
We rest our case.
Prince Bill M. Kaping’a
Political/Social Analyst
Zambezi
1. Chawama loss had absolutely nothing to do with Kalimanshi, with or without Kalimanshi, the high cost of living created by the UPND was very visible.
2. Nobody votes looking at defectors. It is bread and butter issues
3. Majority voters did not even know nor hear of who had been given an SUV, cant be a factor on any day.
4. Let me vote for FDD because a carcass has been diverted, very funny.
Shallow analysis
Mukose