REVOKE THE APPOINTMENT OF COMPROMISED NEW ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF ZAMBIA CEO- Fred M’membe

REVOKE THE APPOINTMENT OF COMPROMISED NEW ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF ZAMBIA CEO

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) is an important electoral management body whose primary mandate is to ensure that elections are conducted in a democratic, transparent, free and fair manner.

The powers of the ECZ, whose fundamental principle as an independent and autonomous electoral body, are guaranteed in our Constitution.

However, we are extremely concerned with the manner in which the ECZ is conducting its affairs, particularly the recent appointment of Mr Brown Kasaro to serve as the commission’s Chief Electoral Officer.

We would like to state from the onset that this appointment is a recipe for disaster owing to Mr Kasaro’s checkered history with the Commission where he once served as director IT.

If only the people charged with the responsibility of appointing Mr Kasaro had cared to consult or conduct a thorough vetting process, they would have known and understood the circumstances under which Mr Kasaro parted ways with ECZ in the first place.

It’s not a secret that Mr Kasaro was relieved of his duties from ECZ as director IT, after his alleged dealings with the UPND were uncovered by one of the state security wings. Mr Kasaro stood accused of so many things, which portrayed him as a compromised individual and therefore, made it impossible for him to continue his career with the Commission.

It therefore, goes without saying that the appointment of Mr Kasaro is inappropriate, unacceptable and should be immediately revoked. Clearly, there is a demonstrable reason for the revocation of this appointment owing to Mr Kasaro’s alleged bias.

With all that has been said and unearthed about Mr Kasaro, surely there is a substantial likelihood that he will not be respected and regarded as a fair adjudicator in the management of the electoral process by all stakeholders, probably with the exception of the UPND, who have planted him at ECZ.

There is absolutely no need for more allegations of bias against Mr Kasaro, before ECZ can decide if he is suitable for the job or not because it’s clear that the person they want to install at the helm of the Commission is not who they think he is or who they believe he will be. The man is a UPND cadre!

There’s more we can say about Mr Kasaro unsuitability for this job but we don’t want to appear personal and petty.

Keeping Mr Kasaro in that job is a recipe for a disastrous and discredited electoral process in 2026. And if ECZ is not careful they will set this country on fire and destroy our democracy for no reason, other than extreme desperation and uncontrolled appetite for money, power and control by Mr Hakainde Hichilema and his league.

Let Mr Hichilema find a job for Mr Kasaro and other UPND cadres at their party secretariat and not sensitive institutions like ECZ.

Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party