STEPHEN KAMPYONGO’S DANGEROUS PATH.
Legend has it that a wiseman learns from other people’s mistakes and a fool learns from own mistakes. The same legend has it that excitement breeds discontent especially political incumbency excitement. In the history of Zambia, we have had political leaders who have risen from rags to riches geniusly and who have risen through mere luck.
Those who has risen to top leadership on merit and those through bootlicking. Those who are fit and qualified for their appointments and those who are not. One of the luckiest, most unfit, most unqualified and most unappreciative political leader ever to be on the government hierarchy is Stephen Kampyongo. Appointed as Minister of Home Affairs a position fit for a fully qualified lawyer with integrity and experience, he has reduced the Ministry to an institution that promotes lawlessness instead of being home security conscious Under him, the subordinate departments have committed more atrocities compared only to the worst dictatorships. He has become law himself.
Being a product and descendant of SURVIVORS of the Lenshina uprising conflict that claimed thousands of lives in Chinsali in the early 60s before Zambia’s independence, he should have appreciated the peace and stability that Zambians have enjoyed during the other five(5) regimes from KK to Michael Sata. He should have appreciated the Zambian people’s tolerance of his hypocritical handling of Zambia’s internal security. He should have appreciated that being appointed Minister of Home Affairs with only an invincible certificate in black market bureau de change from Katondo Street in Lusaka, Zambia instead of appointing a professional lawyer with a doctorate degree from Harvard University in USA is out of mere luck and not genius.
Instead of instilling security consciousness in the minds of Zambians, he has instilled fear in that citizens have been subjected to harassment by PF cadres who are mostly former bank robbers, aggravated robbers, pickpockets, petty thieves, house breakers and other criminals who have shifted camp to a more lucrative PF party cadrism and have been given more power by Kampyongo than the professional police service and have literally taken over Local government and land allocation unlawfully pocketing the proceeds. Those with divergent views have been subjected to unlawful arrests. Opposition political leaders have been intimidated to a level of wanting to shut them up.
Is this the Zambia our independence founding fathers fought for when they negotiated for independent Zambia? Are we going to continue having mediocre leadership the likes of Kampyongo? Is Kampyongo not aware that it is this kind of behavior that has caused upheavals in countries that have experienced civil wars? Is Kampyongo in the right frame of mind? Is he historically fair to his fellow Chinsalians who went through the agony of police brutally like what is happening now? Why is Edgar Lungu so unfair as to appoint a hard hearted nonentity of Law as MoHA? What have we Zambians dine to deserve such absurd behavior from our government? Why PF? Why?
The United Nations and other peace keeping organizations should check Stephen Kampyongo’s behavior before things get out of hand. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Kampyongo is a danger to Zambia’s democracy. We donot need a Wariamongu in Zambia. Furthermore his boasting of having bought a large stock of armory for the police force to get rid of those opposing the PF negative governance style is outrageous. Zambia is doomed with Stephen Kampyongo as MoHA. Zambians beware.
Mutale D Mwamba (Very concerned citizen)