By Edwin Mbulo in Livingstone
CHARLES Kakoma and other defectors from the UPND to the PF are languishing in a political quagmire, says George Mpombo.
Last Friday, Charles Kakoma told The Mast that he was sorry for the injury that he caused to the UPND prior to the August 12, 2021 elections.
Kakoma who ditched the UPND on March 30 for the then ruling party, PF, pleaded with Zambians and UPND sympathisers to move on now that time for elections is over.
“I have gone through the comments especially on my Facebook page and others on Mwebantu. Majority, are saying I have made a good decision to leave PF. Of course, some are still angry about my defection from UPND but we should get over it as a country. I understand the anger he said.
Kakoma has since resigned from the PF and subsequently renounced his party membership.
“I understand the anger and I am sorry for the injury that I could have to my colleagues by my decision to leave the UPN. Leaving the UPND was not an easy decision. It was painful but I still went with it,” said Kakoma. “Sometimes in life you have to make difficult decisions. At that time, after the convention in UPND there were a lot of things happening which caused frustrations in some of us. I was not the only one who was frustrated. A number of people were frustrated. Others even went to stand as independent candidates and so on. All those were frustrations arising from that process but of course things have been done differently. But it happened that way and it was now water under the bridge.”
But Mpombo, a former Kafulafuta MMD member of parliament and defence minister, accused Kakoma of shedding crocodile tears.
“As his political career in a cul-de-sac as he made a huge political miscalculation considering the political pulse of North-Western Province at that time which was obviously overwhelmingly UPND. Equally the gale of defectors to PF are also languishing in a political quagmire following their abortive landing as a result of the loss of PF,” he said. “Honourable Kakoma felt slighted by the perceived demotion (as UPND spokesperson) considering his huge