By Patson Chilemba
The family of Professor Nkandu Luo and Mumbi Phiri has intervened to persuade the latter from fulfilling her threat to escalate her war of words with the cousin, after she warned that she will fight to the end so that her name becomes like Chilly in the Professor’s mouth.
In a recorded audio with a PF member, Prof Luo, who has held various ministerial portfolios with various governments and most recently the PF, where she was also the presidential running mate to former president Edgar Lungu in the 2021 general elections, castigated Phiri for being unthankful that despite being brought up by her family, she had organised “boys” to insult her and her former cabinet colleagues, Jean Kapata and Sylvia Chalikosa.
Prof Luo also said she passed up the opportunity to run for member of parliament in Munali in the 2006 general elections to Phiri, and even wrote the application letter and helped raise campaign funds for the former PF deputy Secretary General, something Phiri said was an insult to her husband who single handedly funded her campaigns
Phiri thanked God for being the greatest equaliser that PF lost the election, as the country would have been destroyed by what she termed Prof Luo’s pomposity and lies.
She wondered how Prof Luo could have managed to sponsor her campaigns when she was literally broke at the time and was driving a green corolla which belonged to her brother in the United States of America.
Mumbi indicated that she was ill treated during the time she was kept by the Luo’s and threatened to show “her sorry pictures to the public” so that people could see and judge for themselves how she was kept, warning that they would never look at Prof Luo the same.
And in another audio, Phiri said she would call for a press briefing to put an end to the lies of Prof Luo, saying she had already started organizing for that.
“So that truth be told. I want when I am through with her she will never open her mouth and mention my name because my name will become like chilly in her mouth. We can’t continue allowing people, her to be telling lies in the name of her being a Prof. Is she the only educated person in this country?” Phiri asked. “Please bantendekefye ine…abakalamba bandi, but ine ndefwaya tupwishanye. Ine ndi mwina ng’ona. Kwaba nabena ng’ona bowa (She just provoked me, but I will take her bait and fight this out to the end).”
However, family sources have intervened to try to calm the waters so that Phiri does not escalate the matter further, saying frantic calls have been made since the arguments made their way into the public fora.
“The two have never seen eye to eye over the years. Their family arguments have also extended to taking proxy positions in the political realm. Haven’t you noticed that Mumbi who was very close friends with Jean are almost sworn enemies now because Jean is now close friends with Nkandu Luo?” The source said. “Even the positions regarding which side one takes in terms of friendship and political support are usually at variance.”
Contacted for comment by Daily Revelation over the revelations that the family was trying to intervene to calm the waters, Phiri could neither confirm nor deny.
Repeated efforts to talk to Prof Luo failed as her line was oscillating between ringing and the line being busy.
he would call for a press briefing to put an end to the lies of Prof Luo, saying she had already started organizing for that.
“So that truth be told. I want when I am through with her she will never open her mouth and mention my name because my name will become like chilly in her mouth. We can’t continue allowing people, her to be telling lies in the name of her being a Prof. Is she the only educated person in this country?” Phiri asked. “Please bantendekefye ine…abakalamba bandi, but ine ndefwaya tupwishanye. Ine ndi mwina ng’ona. Kwana nabena ng’ona bowa (She just provoked me, but I will take her bait and fight this out to the end).”
However, family sources have intervened to try to calm the waters so that Phiri does not escalate the matter further, saying frantic calls have been made since the arguments made their way into the public fora.
“The two have never seen eye to eye over the years. Their family arguments have also extended to taking proxy positions in the political realm. Haven’t you noticed that Mumbi who was very close friends with Jean are almost sworn enemies now because Jean is now close friends with Nkandu Luo?” The source said. “Even the positions regarding which side one takes in terms of friendship and political support are usually at variance.”
Contacted for comment by Daily Revelation over the revelations that the family was trying to intervene to calm the waters, Phiri could neither confirm nor deny.
Repeated efforts to talk to Prof Luo failed as her line was oscillating between ringing and the line being busy.
