CHISEBE URGES SPEAKER MUTTI TO RETHINK TASILA LUNGU ORDER, SAYS SHE CAN NOW BALANCE FUNERAL AND PARLIAMENTARY DUTIES
By: Thomas Afroman Mwale
Governance activist Noel Chisebe has appealed to Speaker of the National Assembly Nelly Mutti to reconsider her directive for Chawama Member of Parliament Tasila Lungu to return to Parliament following the burial of her late father, former President Edgar Lungu, saying the delay has deprived her constituents of leadership.
Speaking in an interview with Sun Fm Tv News Mr. Chisebe said the MP had been absent from Parliament for several months even before the death of the country’s sixth republican president, adding that the unresolved funeral impasse has now lasted five months, negatively affecting Chawama constituency.
He argued that with the Lungu family spokesperson, Makebi Zulu, publicly announcing his intention to contest the presidency in 2026, it demonstrates the family is moving on, suggesting that the Chawama lawmaker could similarly balance funeral matters and her parliamentary duties.
Mr Chisebe urged Speaker Mutti to evaluate her decision based on legislation rather than emotions, emphasizing that the law should guide the process in matters of this nature.
On July 25, 2025, Speaker Mutti directed MP Tasila Lungu to report to Parliament within 14 days after her father’s burial, or within 14 days after the opening of the 13th Session of the National Assembly, whichever occurs later.
Former President Edgar Lungu, who died on June 5, 2025, has not been buried due to a legal dispute between the government and his family over his final resting place.
The family, through Makebi Zulu, recently stated that Mr. Lungu’s remains will only be repatriated to Zambia if President Hakainde Hichilema publicly commits to staying away from the funeral and delegates Vice President Mutale Nalumango to attend.
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Just kick this useless crap MP out of parliament.
She is earning money for doing nothing, just like her rotting father was doing.
If we don’t come to work for months we would be fired…….
The baboons are far better than the LUNGU’s.
I support your position. To be more pragmatic Tasila shouldn’t even be in parliament. As a law marker she can not be fighting the government on a law she knows her father supported and presided over a funeral were family members who had a more valuable reason to unit their father and mother in death stubbornly over looked. So what makes her speacial? Madam speaker. Please, let’s not create unnecessary precedents.
The Speaker has no precedent to refer to because there’s no mourning period that lasts months and months. Without a precedent, the Speaker cannot possibly proceed as she has to do a lot of research and thinking.
If the spokes person has moved on, everyone must move on
That family has cases here that’s why they are using the funeral as an excuse not to come back because they know they are guilty and will be in prison. But unfortunately we are too close to a general election therefore it is not advisable to waste so much money in order to have a by election just now but just maintain the status quo until the general election when Chawama will.have a new MP.