By Agness Changala
Former Lusaka province minister Bowman Lusambo has insisted that he bought the Hungry Lion food packs and saw the police officers eat.
But the police have refuted claims of Lusambo buying food for their officers.
Speaking to Daily Revelation, Lusamba explained that when he and his team went to Hungry Lion, police officers started following them.
“After that, I told my guys that we go and have some snack pa Hungry Lion. So, what happened was that those people were following me, about six vehicles Kapiri, Mukushi, Kabwe, Bwacha among others, they were following me,” Lusambo explained.
He said when the police officers saw that he parked at Hungry Lion, they also parked near Debonairs.
Lusambo said when he saw this, and realising that he was in court for some time, he knew that the officers needed something to eat.
He said it was not only patrolling officers who were given food packs, but he also gave officers who were at the courts.
“We gave OP guys who were at the courts to buy food. When we saw those guys at Hungry Lion, I told my provincial chairman that let’s buy packs for them. We bought Fanta, Coca Cola and bottles of water. We gave them,” he said. “At first we sent one of our guys to ask them if they wanted to eat so we buy food for them, and their commanders accepted they were two. They said let them buy food for us. There is no problem and we bought.”
Asked about the police statement refuting his kind gesture, Lusambo said Hamoonga was lying and should learn to keep quiet.
“I have seen my brother Rae Hamoonga trying to twist the story and I was laughing. I said who do they want to change the narrative for? There is nothing to change there and me I was not giving them to make news, no! I gave them because they needed food okay,” Lusambo said.
He also said the police had been using the officers without giving them anything to eat.
Lusambo said he is a member of the Zambian government by virtue of him having served in the government as Lusaka Province and Copperbelt minister.
He said he is in the system, and he knows that those police officers had been complaining that they were not being looked after.
Lusambo said the last time he went there; he gave them money to buy food and this time around he bought them food and it was a different team he dealt with.
He said others had even followed him at the Figtree when he was in Kabwe.
“So, Rae Hamoonga was just supposed to keep quiet right? If we want to expose, we can expose what we have been doing to these police officers, but they are our brothers and sisters, and we know that they do these duties under difficult circumstances,” he said “
Lusambo said he was coming from Hungry Lion and there were pictures of him leaving the eating place and advancing to the police vehicle to handle over food
He said Hamoonga should stop pushing statements anyhow.
“I actually bought food for the people who were there, and I bought food for my cadres, when you go to Hungry Lion Kabwem they will tell you that I bought a lot of food. First batch went to cadres and officials and the last batch went to police officers,” said Lusambo.
The police have refuted social media reports suggesting that the former minister bought Hungry Lion packs for police officers in Kabwe.
Police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga admitted that Lusambo purchased Hungry Lion food packs in Kabwe but these food packs were not intended for police officers.
“The Zambia Police Service wishes to address and refute the recent allegations circulating on social media regarding Mr. Bowman Lusambo and the alleged distribution of Hungry Lion food packs to police officers in Kabwe.
Contrary to what has been reported, the Zambia Police Service can confirm the following: 1. Events of 3, June 2024: Mr. Bowman Lusambo did purchase Hungry Lion food packs in Kabwe. However, these food packs were not intended for police officers,” Hamoonga stated.
