By Isaac Zulu
Stephen Kampyongo should stop abusing his parliamentary privileges and start exposing state security, Major Ben Phiri has urged.
Calling Daily Revelation, Major Phiri, who is former Luapula Province permanent secretary, charged that it is irrational for the former home affairs minister to be exposing security issues obtaining at State House.
“This man who claims to have been a minister of home affairs, Mr Stephen Kampyongo, I don’t know what is going in his head. Worldwide State House is a sanctity place. And that is why before one can have access to that place, they have to be sufficiently cleared. And now Mr Kampyongo is talking about security issues obtaining at State House. He even goes to an extent of telling the whole world that we have an helipad at State House that the President can use. Mind you, those Parliamentary debates are carried live,” explained Maj Phiri. “That is a Constitutional breach, as far as I am concerned. I am speaking as an army officer with a rank of Major, Stephen should not be recless by issuing utterances that border on state security. If he was home affairs minister worth the name, he should stop abusing his Parliamentary privileges and exposing security matters obtaining at State House.”
Major Phiri also implored minister of home affairs and internal security Jack Mwiimbu to pursue this matter further, stressing that Kampyongo’s utterances border on Constitutional breaches.
“I know Honourable Jack Mwiimbu is a competent lawyer. And he should analyse this from a legal point of view. I am speaking as a UPND member who is a military officer with a rank of Major, I strongly feel that the utterances by Kampyongo that he made while debating the budgetary allocation for State House in Parliament has border on Constitutional breaches,” said Maj Phiri.
And Major Phiri has said that there is nothing sinister about President Hakainde Hichilema delaying shifting to State House.
“The Paya Farmer, PF members of parliament are insisting that President Hakainde Hichilema moves to State House. Why are they insisting that he moves to Nkwazi House? What is it that they have planned against President Hakainde Hichilema?” wondered Maj Phiri.
Major Phiri continued.
“Remember that these are the same people that subjected President Hakainde Hichilema to unnecessary detentions, putting his life at stake when he was in opposition. So he is being security conscious. As a member of the UPND, I want to state that President Hakainde Hichilema will not be forced to move to State House. There’s nothing sinister about him delaying to move to State House,” said Major Phiri. “I will give you an example, in 1996 when President Yoweri Museveni came into power, he stayed in Intebe at Presidential lodge, which is about 45 kilometres away from Kampala for more than two years. President Lungu also stayed at State Lodge where he was enjoying the game of pool for some time, before moving to State House. So there’s nothing sinister about this delay by the current Head of State.”
