LUAPULA CONSTITUENCY MP HON. CHANDA KATOTOBWE RESIGNS AS MP
…As a Patriotic Front Member of Parliament, who has accepted Nomination to run on the of the Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP), by paying K100,000.00 to ECZ, I have in effect crossed the floor and ought to resign.
Plot No. 107 Chitimkulu Road
Mansa
29th April, 2026
The Speaker of the National Assembly,
Parliament Buildings,
P.O. Box 31299
Lusaka 10101
Zambia
Honorable Madam Speaker,
REF.: END OF MY TENURE AS MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
I have been a Member of Parliament for Luapula Constituency in Lunga District of Luapula Province in Zambia, elected in 2021 under the Patriotic Front (PF) Party.
The first thing I did as a Member of Parliament was to take the Oath of Office which stated, “I Chanda Augustine B. Katotobwe, do swear/affirm that I will be faithful and bear allegiance to the President of the Republic of Zambia, and that I will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of Zambia, as by law established. SO HELP ME GOD.”
I took my oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of Zambia, as by law established as a sacred duty I have faithfully followed.
I am aware that the Constitution states in Articles 71(2)(c) & Article 72 of the Constitution that upon “Crossing the floor”, your seat is lost.
On Monday 27th April 2026, I duly accepted the position of flag bearer Presidential Candidate for the Patriots for Economic Progress (PEP) for the upcoming 13th August 2026 general elections.
Article 71(2)(c) of the Constitution which says a Member of Parliament shall vacate their seat if they: “become a member of a political party other than the party of which that member was an authorized candidate when elected to the National Assembly.” comes into play.
The Speaker has ruled that becoming an office-bearer in another party also counts as joining that party. In the GB Mwamba case, the Speaker declared: “In joining the UPND… a political party on whose ticket he was not elected to this House, Mr G B Mwamba, MP, Crossed the Floor as envisioned by Article 71(2)(c) of the Constitution and lost his seat… Accordingly, I now declare the Kasama Central Parliamentary Constituency seat vacant forthwith.”
I am further aware that dual membership is banned and the High Court ruled in the case of Tetamashimba that Article 71(2)(c) “outlaws dual membership.”
What happens next is that the Speaker is supposed to declare such a seat vacant once the Speaker determines the MP has crossed the floor.
The law is straight forward and clear. I have a duty to uphold the Constitution not only arising from the oath I took, but also under Article 2 of the Constitution it is stated that,
“Every person has the right and duty to-
(a) defend this Constitution: and
(b) resist or prevent a person from overthrowing, suspending or illegally abrogate this Constitution.”
The Speaker has taken a similar oath as myself preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of Zambia, as by law established. She will therefore not “suspend or illegally abrogate” the Constitution’s clear provisions.
There are pending rulings expected from the Speaker regarding several people who have joined UPND who were either independents or PF members who have even declared that they will now contest under the UPND ticket. These people are still attending Parliament and receiving sitting allowances pending the ruling awaited from the Speaker. Some are even holding onto positions such as, “Leader of the Opposition” and even “Deputy Speaker”.
No doubt they are hoping and expecting that the Speaker will not perform her duty to make a ruling, but instead that she may simply let time just run out when parliament is dissolved.
If I did not take the Oath I took to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of Zambia, as by law established; I could also ride under the cover of the yet undelivered ruling and enjoy salary and sitting allowances.
Here is the extracted text from the third page:
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My conscious does not allow me to breach a clear constitutional provision and therefore I will not lay back and enjoy the cover of the yet undelivered Speaker’s ruling, but do the right thing which integrity demands and resign as from the date of this letter.
Yours Upholding the Constitution,
Hon. Chanda Augustine B. Katotobwe
cc. The Clerk of the National Assembly
