By Patson Chilemba
Kabushi member of parliament Bowman Lusambo says he is now spending his nights in the streets and in the car, but boasted that his seized Chamba Valley house is better than “some chicken run in New Kasama.”
But asked on the ongoing renovations happening at his previous residence where he resided before moving to the now seized house, in the same Chamba Valley area, Lusambo said people could not expect his life to be at a standstill just because President Hakainde Hichilema was in government.
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Lusambo said he was going through a torturous period.
“We have been through a torturous period. Yes! We have been through this torturous period for nothing and we are doing fine. We are in the streets. We are spending nights in the streets, we are spending nights in a car. And you have President Hichilema in State House who his citizen and the children, kids; 1-year, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years, 5 years spending nights in the streets and he’s going to bed smiling,” Lusambo said. “God is my witness, there is nothing that I have done to this country which can warrant me to go through the things which I am going through. But Mr Hakainde Hichilema is fearing me because he knows that I am a political heavyweight. That is the only thing which he is fearing.”
Lusambo said that President Hichilema was not fighting corruption, and challenged the media to check on the matters the investigative wings have taken to court and see if they corresponded with what was initially alleged against him, insisting that whatever was happening to him was because President Hichilema was not sleeping but wanted Lusambo to shut up.
“He knows I am not a small boy. When I talk people listen to me,” he said.
But asked on his claims that he was spending nights in the street when he also claimed the last time out that he was sleeping in his now seized property as the ACC could not claim to have seized the property when they did not even know its gates, Lusambo said the ACC was claiming what was not theirs, but that himself, his wife and children were all in the streets and spending nights in the car.
He said he struggled to put up that property which had been seized from him, saying the intention was to break him by doing that.
“My friend ifwe twalelya porridge yampundu ifwe. I am a bush boy. I am not a pie and humburger boy. I am a bush boy. Twaleya mukupala imbalala nefyumbu mumabala yabene (We used to steal groundnuts and sweet potatoes in other people’s fields). That’s how I have grown up. So whatever treatment which Mr Hakainde Hichilema wants to subject me to to me it’s nothing because the people of Zambia themselves they are seeing,” Lusambo said. “He said he wants to fight corruption let him fight corruption. Why should he fight Bowman instead of fighting corruption?”
Asked that renovations have been seen at his previous residence in Chamba Valley Obama, and asked if he was the one doing them, Lusambo said: “Yes I can do it. I am working. Me I am a parliamentarian. I get paid. So what is wrong with that? So are you telling me that my life is supposed to be at standstill? That’s what you are thinking? Now I have to be on standstill just because Hakainde Hichilema is in government? Those are jokes. Those are jokes. Those are jokes.”
But asked on assertions that what he was accused of accumulating was more than his known income during the time he served in public office, Lusambo replied: “Which government? Government of jokers? These hypocrites.”
He said everything carrying his name, he worked for it, saying he had been working in the private sector before he joined the government.
He said he built his seized Chamba Valley house before he joined the government. On the other one where he resided previously and which is now undergoing some renovations, Lusambo said “that is not the job for you to know who the owner of the property where I resided before. People rent houses in our country and it is not a crime.”
Lusambo said he has been acquiring income over the years, and that President Hichilema must be reminded that Lusambo has been a minister and he is also member of parliament.
“Maybe he has forgotten that I was his minister for Lusaka Province. He was under me. That house in New Kasama was under me. I was the one who was looking after him. I had to make sure that we construct roads in New Kasama…Chalala. That was my responsibility to supervise,” Lusambo said. “Maybe he was sick. So because I saw him looking as if he is suffering from symptoms of Covid. Because he was using a handkerchief minute after minute. So maybe he was sick.”
“But of course it’s not good when someone is sick and we can only wish them to recover quickly,” the author retorted.
Lusambo said he was not politicking when he talked of sleeping on the streets but would not mention exactly where because he was not a common citizen but a leader in this country and therefore his life was supposed to be secret.
But asked if his colleagues in the PF have not come to his aid, Lusambo said the one who was supposed to think about that was the President himself that the seized house was his family house.
“How can you put a restriction order, two weeks later you want to seize? That is being unethical. Why are you seizing a thing which is on restriction order? Who can eat a house?” Lusambo asked.
He said this was a difficult period for him but a time for “Hakainde Hichilema to celebrate.”
Lusambo said he has been working, with institutions where he had worked before giving him gratuities, while engaging in business.
He boasted that he printed campaign T-shirts for Kapembwa Simbao, Sylvia Masebo, Bradford Machila, Felix Mutati, Ng’andu Magande, Gaston Sichilima for the 2006 elections as well supplying the music system for private secretary to the President, Chipoya when he was running Baluba Motel in Ndola and that they used to give him a lot of money.
“And those T-shirts I was printing them from South Africa and they used to pay me. Do you think I can fail to build a house?” Lusambo said. “Yes my house is nice I know. I know that my house is nice, is better than some chicken runs which we know in New Kasama and others. It’s nice because that is the test which I have. I am a very civilised person…ine nalikwata ama passport ayapwa ayali five (I have about five full passports from traveling). So how was I moving to go to do business in the world? I was moving on wheelbarrows?”
He said it was a pity that former Presidents Rupiah Banda and Michael Sata were dead as they could have advised President Hichilema on how best to treat “Bowman, because Bowman is not just Bowman.”
“Bowman is a very strong person. Very strong person, and the way to treat Bowman is not the way you are treating him now. Bowman believes in dialogue,” said Lusambo. “I can’t work with Hakainde. I can’t. That is my principle. I can’t work with him. That is my principle.”
Lusambo said he was sure that President Hichilema’s presidency would finish in 2026 and another Zambian would come in to govern.
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