WHY KAMPAMBA MULENGA DEFECTED TO UPND
Let me make one thing clear: I am political, but non-partisan. I neither support the party Hon. Kampamba Mulenga has joined nor the one she left. But I want people to understand why she had to make such a difficult decision so that they support or not support her for the right reasons.
We all know how much love she had for the PF party and Edgar Chagwa Lungu (may his soul rest in peace). There is no doubt about her staunch support. She publicly backed the party even when it wasn’t fashionable to do so. Kalulushi remained a PF stronghold because of her relentless campaigning. Even when she was a minister, and after PF lost power, she visited her constituency almost every weekend, and during the week whenever she could, to oversee development and party affairs.
However, just after suspicions arose that she had voted for Bill 7, her own party members labelled her a traitor and, borrowing Garry Nkombo’s words, They Took Her To A Dump Site. You all know that she openly rallied behind and started campaigning for Brian Mundubile. But Mundubile was also labelled as someone who only had MPs who voted for Bill 7. Allegations emerged that since he had never been arrested or accused of any crime by the government, he might have been working for them.
This may have left him with no choice but to sideline Kampamba Mulenga. There were continued public and private attacks from party members like Davies Mwila (former PF SG), Lilly Mutambo, and the girl who a page called “Chair Voice of the People.” Likewise, all PF‑aligned blogs did not spare her..
I am not sure if she actually voted for Bill 7, but one major reason she may have done so is that Kalulushi was simply too large. While other constituencies have five or six wards, Kalulushi had 24 wards. Imagine that. As a result, her initiatives, even though she did a lot using her own resources together with CDF funds, seemed to have little visible impact. That is why we now have Chambishi and Kalulushi constituencies. In my view, her vote was not self serving but in service to her constituency.
In addition, despite her popularity in Kalulushi, the Tonse Alliance had already started promoting another candidate. No doubt this was heavily influenced by Davies Mwila, who has harboured an unexplained hatred for her for a very long time. Even before the 2021 elections, he supported Rashida Mulenga, who lost to her.
I know some of you may be disappointed by her decision, but you must understand that she made it under very difficult circumstances. It is therefore unfair to judge her given those circumstances. Secondly, she has made only one political defection in her entire life, so it is also unfair to call her names.
I know three things about Hon Kampamba Mulenga. One: she is loved by the people, not because of her party affiliation, but because of who she is as a person. Two: she is a fighter; she has achieved what she has through mere hard work. Three: she is the same Mulenga Kampamba, the Chela Moche, that you know.
David Chishimba