IG GRAPHAEL MUSAMBA MAY FALL ON OWN POLITICAL SWORD… UKA warns the Zambian Police Chief

IG GRAPHAEL MUSAMBA MAY FALL ON OWN POLITICAL SWORD

… UKA warns the Zambian Police Chief

06th March 2024

Mr Graphael Musamba could be setting himself to go down as the most partisan Chief of Police in the entire history of policing in Zambia.

The main reason for our concern that Mr Musamba’s ending could be dire is because of how he has openly and publicly curtailed the ability of Zambians to freely assemble and express or mobilise themselves.

It is doubly sad at a time like now when we (Zambians) should be discussing looming exponentially high costs of fuel, electricity and runaway mealie meal prices, we also have to discuss a ´trigger happy´ top cop. He certainly has presented himself as the most openly partisan and heavy-handed Chief of Police, Zambia has ever had since 1964.

WHAT EXACTLY ARE UKA’S MUSAMBA CONCERNS IN POLICING?

Let us look at the litany of Constitutional breaches by Mr Musamba, so that we are not mistaken for sowing ‘sour grapes or bitter.´ Which is common from the ruling UPND, regarding anyone that holds them to account:

1. Mr Musamba has transformed the Zambia Police from being a Police Service into being a Police Force.
2. Mr Musamba’s partisan inclination and abuse of public office made him to deploy state security to protect illegalities in the holding of a fake Conventions for the PF as well as the NDC in Lusaka and Kabwe, respectively.
3. Mr Musamba has orchestrated conduct that is reminiscent of Pre-independence Policing were Zambians were treated like animals without any consideration for human rights.
4. Mr Musamba’s police force have orchestrated the kidnapping of opposition political leaders like Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba and Mr Rizwani Patel.
5. Mr Musamba continues to abuse his office by stopping opposition political parties from freely mobilizing rallies, a clear breach of their Constitutional rights. The PF, the CF and SP have all been casualties to his heavy handedness.
6. Mr Musamba deployed gun wielding blood thirst police officers to disrupt and apprehend Mr. Kasonde Mwenda who was holding a press conference.
7. Mr Musamba recently had a youth arrested who wanted to protest with his friends against the ever-increasing biting cost of living that has seen prices of the staple food maize teeter close to K400 per 25kg bag 64% of Zambians cannot afford.
8. Mr Musamba has made statements that on his watch “opposition parties will never hold public rallies” against Constitutional provisions that allow them to freely assemble or associate.
9. Mr Musamba has continued to preside over the Zambia Police Force that has recorded the highest number of arrests of opposition political leaders on flimsy charges and in some cases with no charges at all.
10. Mr Musamba’s police officers broke into Patriot for Economic Progress, PeP’s, Leader’s home Mr Sean Tembo. Clearly engaging in criminal activities on the pretext of effecting an arrest.
11. Mr Musamba’s police force arrested a pastor in Kitwe for speaking against the demolishing of shops at Chisokone market.
12. Mr Musamba’s police force attempted to rip apart the gate to the home of the 6th President of Zambia using a grinder.
13. Mr Musamba’s police force arrested a caller in Kabwe who differed with the Kabwe District Commissioner on the high cost of living.
14. Mr Musamba’s police force assaulted Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba and Mr Chilufya Tayali, among others.
15. Mr. Musamba’s callous police force followed a then sick Ms.Edith Zewelani Nawakwi, President of the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) to the hospital and wanted to arrest her from her sick bed.

WHAT ARE THE DANGERS OF MR MUSAMBA´S HEAVY HANDEDNESS ON ZAMBIA’S DEMOCRACY?

While the above enumeration is not exhaustive, it presents sufficient evidence that the Republican President Mr Hakainde Hichilema is complicit in the activities that Mr Musamba has been orchestrating. It is our profound view that a President who means well for his country’s image at home and abroad would allow his Inspector General of Police to continue abusing the law with impunity.

If this man is left unchecked and allowed to continue on this trajectory, Zambia’s Democratic credentials will be obliterated and we can only have Mr. Hakainde Hichilema to blame for that. UKA would, therefore, like to call upon Zambians not to succumb to the whims of those who seek to suppress our human rights and turn this nation into a pariah of demagoguery.

Mr Musamba must never take Zambians’ kind heartedness to be a sign of weakness… On the contrary, they have proven to be forceful and usually take a strong stand to kick out any dictatorial tendencies just as they did against the founding President of our Republic Dr. Kaunda’s one party state.

DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF ZAMBIANS TO FIGHT FOR THEIR DEMOCRACY.

WHERE IS THE WESTERN DONOR COMMUNITY AS ABUSES RISE?

Our concern as UKA is the continued silence of our Western dignitaries who have been champions of the rule of law. Other than the US Ambassador’s voice on corruption, we have noticed, with interest, the laud silence of the other diplomats accredited to Zambia.

They have elected to be “innocent bystanders” while Mr. Hakainde Hichilema continues to obliterate the institutions of governance. The people of Zambia are watching and as UKA we are following this with keen interest.

We feel it is a timely caution to our development partners to disengage and put the interests of Zambia and Zambians at heart than risk being an attribution to the tyrannical rule of Mr Hakainde Hichilema’s regime that will be stopped on August, 12 2026.

We call upon President Hichilema to stop Mr Musamba, a known UPND IG and appoint an impartial non partisan IG as he starts to prepare for a peaceful exit and if his legacy is to be appreciated, otherwise he risks going down as a failed President.

Jackson Silavwe
Chairperson Commmuications
United Kwacha Alliance
(UKA)