By Daily Revelation
Ruling UPND deputy secretary general Patrick Mucheleka says immediate past PF members of parliament, Moses Mawere and Peter Daka, are part of the UPND campaign team in Kaumbwe, Eastern Province.
And Mucheleka charged that the UPND will seek justice against Stephen Kampyongo over his alleged activities during the time he served as minister in the PF government.
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Mucheleka said Daka and Mawere were campaigning with the UPND in Msanzala.
But asked on reports that the people have misgivings over the involvement of Daka, fresh from losing in Msanzala, in the same Petauke district as Kaumbwe, where he stood after he was denied another run on the PF ticket in the 2021 elections, Mucheleka said he was not familiar with the matter as he was not on the ground in Kaumbwe.
“Which people are not happy? People in Kaumbwe or people in UPND or PF? Mawere is there. Daka is there. They are campaigning for UPND in Kaumbwe, and that question I can refer you to our chairman for elections Garry Nkombo,” Mucheleka said. “He’s is Kaumbwe right now. I am not on the ground. I am not familiar with what the dynamics are.”
Daka stood on the Heritage Party ticket in 2001 and lost to MMD’s Levison Mumba. However, Daka petitioned the election which was annulled by the courts, with MMD picking him ahead of Mumba to re-contest the election which he won. Daka served as a member of parliament and minister in the MMD administrations of late president Levy Mwanawasa and Rupiah Banda. He lost to independent Joseph Lungu in the 2011 elections, and also lost the subsequent by-election which followed in 2012, after Lungu resigned as independent to join the PF ranks.
Daka joined the PF prior to the 2016 elections and was adopted, retaining the Msanzala seat in that year’s election. However, he opted to contest as independent in 2021 after he was left out on the PF adoptions but lost, upon which he joined hands with the UPND.
Mawere is the former PF Chipata-Central member of parliament and minister of Youth and Sports under former president Edgar Lungu. He was left out on the adoptions for 2021 in favour of Amon Jere.
And Mucheleka said Zambians have not forgotten nor forgiven what they went through under the PF, saying he was saddened that the former ruling party had carried on as if it was business as usual in stead of showing remorse to Zambians.
“What is making them arrogant is the money they have stolen,” he claimed.
Mucheleka said justice has to prevail against people like Kampyongo and the others, citing incidences where a helicopter that was carrying former first lady Maureen Mwanawasa and Vice-President Mutale Nalumango, was almost brought down in Kampyongo’s Shiwang’andu constituency.
He said the helicopter carrying then opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema was also almost brought down in the same area, while properties belonging to Socialist Party (SP) leader Fred M’membe were destroyed in Mwika village in Chinsali.
Mucheleka said SP candidate in Chinsali, Kapasa Makasa was beaten and almost left for dead in the same area.
“And I am so surprised the small little evil man can today stand up and even talk. It’s just that we are in the UPND. If we were like PF Kampyongo would not be walking the streets of Lusaka as a free man. We would have taken law into our own hands,” said Mucheleka. “We could have done that on Kampyongo. We haven’t because we have taken heed of the directive by President Hichilema. Do you think I can behave like Kampyongo myself?”
