by: Prof. Edgar Ng’oma
This was Thursday 14th December 2023 at Cresta golf view during a press briefing by senior government officials.
THE HISTORY OF THE NAME; UMODZI KUM’MAWA HAS BETRAYED THE PEOPLE OF EASTERN PROVINCE
By: Professor Edgar Ng’oma~ Political Analyst/Governance fellow/Philosopher
In yesterday’s press briefing by Hon . Mike Mposha who is also minister of water and sanitation and he hails from Eastern Province.
Minister Mposha led a delegation of senior government officials that hail from Eastern Province to caution those leaders propagating the UMODZI KUM’MAWA agenda to rethink of possible fragmentation of the nation.
In this suspicion of umodzi kumawa outfit by government, there are a couple of things if not 4 to be specific which has concerned government to react in the manner it has done.
The government may have a point and once you see between their arguments we may give them a benefit of doubt. Let’s together do a careful analysis of their fears. The fear could be genuine. I attended this press briefing as an interested party I would like to share with you my informed analysis of their fears such that once we work towards to remove their fears we will be supported 100%.
Now let me share with you my critical analysis on what the fears of government might be.
1. THE NAME ITSELF “UMODZI KUMAWA” .
In the middle 1970s during the UNIP era, when Reuben Chitandika Kamanga was fired by Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda as vice president of Zambia after deputizing him (Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda) who was ZAMBIA’S first black president after independence from Britain in 1964. The firing of Kamanga a huge crack on the wall of UNIP because the members of central committee (MCC) of UNIP who hailed from Eastern Zambia (Kumawa) got so upset with the firing such that in protest to defend the position of Kamanga they threatened to secede, breakaway from the other 9 provinces of Zambia and stand alone. In doing this they chanted “UMODZI KUMAWA” (blood is thicker than water/ unity for Easterners).
They even proposed East Providence to be part of Malawi. The border with Zambia was proposed to be the boundaries between Lusaka and Eastern Province at Luangwa river.
This act by Easterners scared Dr. Kaunda so much so, such that he had to bargain with them (Easterners) to call off the spirit of Unity of purpose umodzi kumawa.
*2.THE PROPOSED NAMES OF INTERIM COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO SPEARHEAD THE AGENDA*.
The second reason why the blood pressure of government shot up is due to the composition of the names of those driving the agenda, according to senior government officials who held a press briefing at Lusaka Golf view, opposite Munali secondary school along great East road, they accused proposed steering committee of being opposition patriotic Front officials who have been those very critical of President Hichilema and the New dawn government.
This fact really rose the anxiety levels to their uncomfortable maximum levels.
3. 6TH PRESIDENT EDGAR LUNGU RETURN TO ACTIVE POLITICS FROM RETIREMENT.
Remember, ECL had a press conference last month in November where he outlined how he will fight to bring back what he described in his own opinion as shrinking democracy with use of 3 available official and legitimate means such that when these fail to bring to normality to justice the he will only have democracy then one remaining option would only be to ask God to intervene. This statement coming from a former head of state has caused so much restlessness to government.
Now to hear there is formation of UMODZI KUMAWA! ooh! it can’t be about development! because the umodzi kumawa they knew was a political protest and not a developmental agenda.
4. ECONOMIC HARDSHIP IN THE NATION.
A fortnight ago, I abandoned use of my personal private transport and got on public transport to listen for myself what conversations is on the mouths of the public in the heart of ZAMBIA’S capital city Lusaka.
To and from city centre to various townships so that I could hear for myself what was the real time conversation on commuters lips. I got the issues I went to gather but I have since not yet written a report for public consumption.
This is so because I wanted first to brief the powers that be as the public sent me a direct message to deliver to the president but i have tried to make an appointment but I was told by one special assistant that may be next year sometime January 2024.It has been equally difficult to get one of his special assistant, too difficult indeed. Advisors are equally too busy to meet me to get a brief.
Well, to be honest people have a message for our president and they sent me to convey it for them. Yes they do.They have a plea to make to the president. let me end here.
OUR REACTION TO THAT PRESS BRIEFING.
First of all we would like to dispel government fears that Umodzi Kumawa is an outfit promoting tribal agenda, a big no. How can it be a tribal agenda when in the eastern province is the only province in the country with two paramount chiefs Chirombo Gawa Undi and Mpezeni Ngwenyama with 8 different tribes alongside? surely this is where academicians must come in and define what is the outlook of a tribe. What is a tribe? It is a group of people made of thousands of clans whose origins are from one father and mother. eg. The tribe of Benjamin in ancient Israel, tribe of Judah so many clans make make up a tribe and so many tribes like in Israel as an example make up the state of Israel.
So when you look at Eastern Province, it is not made out of one forefather. Far from it being a tribal outfit. No, we are not a tribal outfit, actually we qualify to be be a state made up of many different tribes like the state of Israel. At least the state of Israel come from one Jacob but we Easterners we don’t. The two paramount chiefs are evidence of that ethnic diversity.
I thought we should educate each other here inorder not to mislead the nation, let’s call a spade a spade like my brother Levy Ng’oma put it yesterday when he was arraying his fears to expose politically exposed persons at the helm of Chipata main group of Umodzi Kumawa which has since changed its name to Kumawa development Coalition.
2. We are a regional outfit who wants to chat a developmental agenda for our region not by choice.
Let me do a bit of lecture here.
In governance the structure begins at a family level.
First it the governance of every family/home led by a father, then thousands of homes form a section. Later tens of sections form wards. Then tens of wards from constituencies, and about 5 to 10 constituency for districts and finally tens of districts form a province in this case Eastern Province.
The irony of the matter is that families have formed different groups to champion the welfare of the family tree.
At section, ward level, constituency levels there are clubs associations , coalitions and various kinds of come together for people to champion human growth and welfare.
Now, how can a regional grouping of different tribes come together to form a trust to champion economic welfare of its people be rebelled a tribal outfit sure?
OUR PLEA TO GOVERNMENT.
To allow us to operate as a developmental trust and we have no intentions to turn into their fears, a political outfit. They are a government and they will see and watch our activities.
We will remove from leadership ranks politically exposed persons , they will remain members of these development outfits to array your fears.
NEXT ACTION FROM UMODZI KUM’MAWA.
The four reasons highlighted above are the main reasons in my informed opinion, government is not comfortable to allow this outfit to go ahead to function as UMODZI KUMAWA.
Because of this development and also information that has reached us that umodzi kumawa was already registered entity by others for a different purpose, we have decided to change the outfit names for the midlands we have proposed;
CHITUKUKO KUM’MAWA TRUST. (EAST DEVELOPMENT TRUST).
However, in Chipata, Eastern Province they have named it “KUMAWA DEVELOPMENT COALITION”. Because of reason two, above, the names of politically exposed persons driving that economic agenda which government think the political motive is disguised, we on the midlands meanwhile we will operate as proposed above CHITUKUKO KUM’MAWA TRUST. As for us on the midlands, as first major project we want to use this special purpose vehicle to deliver two Smart cities, celebrity city, International airport to the celebrity city, fertilizer plant at Nyimba in chief Nyalugwe/Ndake chiefdoms, Chipata and Lumezi in chief Zumwanda respectively. To achieve this we will involve the two paramount chiefs Mpezeni and Karonga Chirombo Gawa Undi and all other traditional leaders in the province, of course in total collaboration with the New dawn government.
I would like to encourage all well meaning Easterners who love themselves to register their membership which is Free of charge. Membership of CHITUKUKO KUM’MAWA TRUST is coming with amazing benefits, for now to be kept as secret for a good reason. You will thank us later.
I submit.
Prof. Edgar Ng’oma Political Analyst/Governance fellow/Philosopher.
CHITUKUKO KUMAWA TRUST
Fit to be subject.
Not va coalition ivo!!!!!
Let’s develop ours.
The time ECL was president why didnt Ng’oma come up with Umodzi Kum’mawa? Has Eastern province become underdeveloped during the 2 years of UPND rule? If every Zambian decided that whenever a head of state does not hail from their province then they should band together ethnically and lament under a guise of trust, where would this country be if all behaved like Ngoma?
Let Ngoma jst form a political party, that is his constitutional right, not hiding in robs of trusts. Why should Zambia be in a situation were 90% of opposition political parties are headed by somebody from the North? After registering his party let him allow all Zambians regardless of tribe to join and not this trust that excludes other tribes. Parties must have national representation to root out tribalism in our country.
Amalume Ng’oma, you are hiding behind too many words, we can see through the Veil. You cannot cheat anyone. My view is that Zambia should go the Federal State System, like USA and Nigeria, each of the 9 Provinces should be a State taking care of it own developmental and economic Affairs. The Tribes in those States can then comfortably live with their own Tribesmen). Lusaka Province and Lusaka City can be designated as the Federal Province and Federal Capital of Zambia respectively, (like Washington DC in the USA). Then in Lusaka City all the BIG Thieves can gravitate to and live there.
I just want to thank you Prof Ngoma for your forensic analysis. Apart from us older generations, many of the young people don’t even know that late Reuben C. Kamanga was the first Vice President of Zambia. Coming to our issue, UMODZI KUM’MAWA, like me I am not really surprised beyond my head because in every genuine multi-party and democratic country, such things happen, people are free to associate and express themselves. That being the case, an organization can be formed whether developmental or political but what really matters is the agenda or purpose the organization itself. You can try to dispute their intentions and yet it could be true. It’s not new or the first time to have such a group, we have had such groupings in the past and I will give an example of the Tongas. Way back in the Kaunda era, Tongas had a group called Bantu Botatwe Ngoma Yamaau Association and the initial intention of the group was to promote unity and brotherhood among the Bantu Botatwe groups, i.e. Tonga, Ila and Lenje-Soli. It had nothing to do with politics, it was purely there for unity especially among the urban or town populations. The under PF, there was another group called Chuundu Chaitwa although I won’t say much about it. But organizations or groups are like Churches, there is no single Church on earth or in this world where you can only find good people, there are also bad people and they will always be there. The devil has people there, the government has its people there and so on and from time immemorial, this is how society has been. That is why Jesus gave us a parable of the wheat and the tares, they have to grow together for the sake of preserving wheat but at the end, wheat will be stored in the bans while the tares will be tied in bundles and be given to the flames. All along it has been a trend that immediately such a group is formed, there are many people who flock there with good and bad intentions, those with bad intentions, they see it as a good platform to push their political ambitions. So even in the UMODZI KUM’MAWA, there is no guarantee that there are no people with political ambitions in the group, they are there and are many. My only advice is that we always need to guard our peace in the country jealously, those with good intentions should always try to help their friends and focus on development and not on anything else. The Government too should keep an eye not only on UMODZI KUM’MAWA but also on any other organization which may spring up in the country and is perceived to be a threat to our peace and democracy.We need to support our President because he means well for all the regions of this country. Right now we are doing and saying all these things because of the freedom HH and his ND government has brought.