THOSE GETTING COMPENSATIONS RISK BEING PROSECUTED AND JAILED IN FUTURE – HOWARD KUNDA
…says UPND is looting public resources through compensations
Ndola, Thursday, November 30, 2023
Zambia Wake-Up Party (ZAWAPA) President Howard Kunda has criticized the huge compensations being awarded to Government officials and UPND supporters by courts.
The Lusaka High Court has entered a consent judgment awarding UPND Lusaka Province Chairperson Obvious Mwaliteta and James Sichomba K900,000 each as compensation for wrongful prosecution.
Furthermore, Transport Minister Frank Tayali was this week awarded K450, 000 by the Lusaka High Court on account of the trauma occasioned to him by the police who pointed a gun at him in 2020.
Mr. Tayali filed a claim for compensation in the court for the incident that occurred when the Minister accompanied President Hakainde Hichilema then as opposition leader for interrogations at the Police Headquarters in Lusaka.
But Mr. Kunda has question the compensation arguing that it amounts to looting public funds.
“I am saddened by the issue of these huge compensations; I think our country is worsening in terms of governance. You can’t imagine that this is the kind of change the people of Zambia voted for, the change that we should put money in the pockets of these leaders in this manner. I think they should be ashamed of themselves by wanting to loot the resources of the country through this same compensation,” Mr. Kunda said.
“I think that our country deserves better and I would want to tell the Zambian people that these are things we have seen for ourselves and come 2026 we need to remove this Government without any remorse. They have shown us that they are just a bunch of people that want to loot the country in form of compensation.”
The former Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee Chairperson warned that people getting huge compensations risk being prosecuted and jailed in future.
“If our forefathers who fought for our independence resorted to wanting to get compensation after independence how much money were we going to remain with? All the money would have gone to compensate freedom fighters. These compensations by this government are day light robbery and they shouldn’t even defend themselves. This is something all of us must be against. When ZAWAPA is voted in office in 2026 everyone who has stolen money from the people of Zambia in this way of compensation will not only pay back but also be jailed,” Mr. Kunda stated.