By Mubanga Mubanga
Citizens First Leader Harry Kalaba says President Hakainde Hichilema should leave former president Edgar Lungu alone.
And Kalaba said the UPND had sensed that they were losing the elections, hence the drive to to change the constitution so that they could nominate more members of parliament in order to change the constitution at will.
Speaking during a public rally in Lusaka’s Linda Compound today, Kalaba said the UPND were giving Lungu a hard time.
Kalaba however, said he would stop all problems that the UPND were causing Lungu to go through if he came to power in 2026.
“You have seen how Edgar Lungu is being given a hard time. But l want to tell Edgar Lungu, If we come, the problems that he is going through will stop them. Even Hakainde Hichilema himself, if l become the President, l will not be touching him,” Kalaba said. “Even if he has failed to rule, but we will just leave him. Because it is God who allowed him to rule. Mr Hakainde should leave Edgar Lungu alone. The same person, you arrest his wife, you arrest his children, you arrest his relatives. You even arrest all those who are close to him. Can you say that is a good thing in the country?”
Kalaba said the UPND had brought hatred and segregation in the country.
He promised to put an end to the same.
And Kalaba said President Hichilema had sensed that he would lose the 2026 general elections, hence his desire now, to change the constitution.
“They want to change the Republican Constitution. The President wants to be nominating MPs, a lot of them in Parliament so that they should be changing the constitution at will,” Kalaba said. “Can you allow that? Why didn’t they change the Constitution after they won elections in 2021? Now they want to change after seeing that things are getting hard? They want to change after seeing that they have increased the price of mealie meal.”
In apparent reference to the firing of Garry Nkombo, who was until yesterday Local Government minister, Kalaba said President Hichilema did not allow people to disagree with him.
He said anyone who did so was fired.
Kalaba told Linda Compound residents that the UPND government did not regard them as human beings, and that was why they were being denied electricity.
He said that they must show the UPND in 2026 their displeasure by voting them out.
National Democratic Party (NDC) leader Saboi Imboela, and Revamp for Democratic Change (RDC) leader Robert Chansa, represented the United Kwacha Alliance (UKA), although Imboela only greeted the crowd
Several members of Citizens First and central committee members were among those that attended the rally.
National youth chairperson Maxwell Chongu and the party’s chairperson for international relations Dr Mwaba Kasese Botha, were also present.
The rally which was mostly attended by children and youths, only started around 12:00 hours, contrary to the notice which stated that it was going to start at 10:00 hrs.
Some people who went there early were seen leaving the venue, after they got tired of waiting for Kalaba who only came to the venue around 15:00 hrs.
Security had a tough time controlling the crowd which wanted to get a glimpse of Kalaba.
