Mon, 17 Jul 2017 11:00:55 +0000
… Police not after Kambwili
By SIMON MUNTEMBA and PRINCE CHIBAWAH
POLICE have rubbished claims by embattled Patriotic Front Roan Member of Parliament Chishimba Kambwili that he is being followed by State security agencies.
Mr. Kambwili claimed that armed police officers and officials from the Zambia Security Intelligence Services (ZSIS) were trailing him on Saturday evening when he arrived in Luanshya.
However, Copperbelt Police Commissioner, Charity Katanga said the claims by Mr. Chishimba were not true, describing them as “blue lies.”
Ms. Katanga said the police presence in Luanshya on Saturday was peompted by a PF mobilization meeting chaired by the PF Copperbelt chairman Stephen Kainga.
She said PF duly notified the police of their meeting in Luanshya and that PF members asked for police presence because they received information that Dr Kambwili had organized some people to disrupt the meeting.
She said that was how the police were dispatched to the venue just to maintain law and order.
She said the police received information that Dr Kambwili wanted to hold another press briefing without notifying the police and police wanted to verify that information.
“We received information that he organized the people to disrupt the PF meeting which was duly communicated to the police and that later, he wanted to hold a press briefing at his residence without notifying the police and that is when we sent plain-clothes police officers to monitor what was happening.
“But when he said we sent armed police officers to his house that is a blue lie. Why would we waste manpower in excess of 25 armed police officers when we are supposed to be patrolling?” she wondered
Confirming a statement on his Facebook page yesterday, Mr Kambwili told the Daily Nation that over 25 armed police officers and six from the Office of the President trailed him when he arrived in Luanshya.
“Yes they have been trailing me, from last night after I arrived in Luanshya, police and OP have been trailing me, trailing me as far as going into Shoprite just behind me.
“I woke up this morning and found over 25 armed police officers and 6 officers from Office of the President right outside my gate,” he said.
Mr Kambwili said he was not a criminal, but a law abiding citizen who deserved to be treated fairly.
“My home is private property and I am entitled to a private life without police harassment, I now fear for my life because these police officers can easily kill or plant something at my home to incriminate me,” Mr Kambwili said.
In his Facebook post, Mr Kambwili claimed that when he confronted the police, they scampered.
Meanwhile, political commentator Edwin Nyirongo has said it was not too late for Mr Kambwili and former Copperbelt Province minister Mwenya Musenge to humble themselves and make peace with the PF.
In an interview yesterday, Mr Nyirongo said the recent political manoeuvres by Mr Kambwili and Mr Musenge had left many people wondering whether the two were still members of the ruling party or not.
“As things stand now, it is hard to tell which political party Mr Musenge, for instance, belongs to owing to his recent activities which mostly appear to be against PF and in support of the UPND.
“The two have the right to associate with politicians or political groupings of their choice but it will be more appropriate if they did that in a more transparent way.”
Mr Nyirongo warned that the soft approach taken by the PF leadership to tolerate Mr Musenge’s misconduct against the ruling party would not last forever.
“It’s high time Mr Musenge and his colleague checked their conscience. They need to be clear on what they want to achieve in their political journey.
“Because the current attitude of Mr Musenge and Mr Kambwili towards the PF party, Government and President Edgar Lungu is highly questionable,” said Mr Nyirongo
