By Isaac Zulu
The ruling UPND in Kapiri Mposhi has removed its district youth chairman, Kennan Chatepa from his position.
Last year the UPND leadership in Kapiri Mposhi suspended four party officials for staging a protest against the appointment of Francis Hasalama as district commissioner.
The three months suspension that the said UPND officials were serving has since been lifted.
Subsequently, the UPND Kapiri Mposhi district disciplinary committee suspended Chatepa, on allegations that he incited the party officials to protest against the appointment of Francis Hasalama as district commissioner, and further gave Chatepa a timeframe in which to exculpate himself.
However, Chatepa refused to exculpate himself as demanded by the district disciplinary committee, promoting the UPND leadership in the area to recommend for “removal of Chatepa his position” as district youth chairman.
And according to the letter signed by UPND Central Province secretary Davy Syamuzulu, Chatepa has been removed from his position for failing to appear before the district disciplinary committee so that he could exculpate himself.
When reached for a comment over this matter, Chatepa said that the crusade to hound him out of the UPND “is being engineered by some party officials with personal grudges” against him.
“Right now I am in Lumwana and that letter to do with removing me from my position was not physically served. Imagine, they went home and found that I was not in the district. And out of their desperation to hound me out of the UPND, these party officials went to an extent of delivering the letter to my wife. All these schemes are being engineered by some UPND officials in the district who have personal grudges against me. We have suffered and sacrificed for the UPND, though they are frustrating us after forming government,” explained Chatepa, who has been hosting the UPND offices at his business premises known as Blue House since the inception of the UPND. “They are still raising baseless and unsubstantiated allegations against me so that they can frustrate me. They want to work with party members who are puppets, people who cannot tell them the truth. With me when I see that something is wrong, I speak out… I speak my mind.”
Asked what his future political plans were, Chatepa said that he has been told that he will remain an ordinary member of the UPND, stating that he is still consulting some senior party members.
Chatepa further stated that he will contest for any position in the UPND in future intra party elections.
“I am still consulting. For me, I would like to hear what the Provincial youth chairman will say about this. I would also like to hear what the UPND national youth chairman will say or do. Otherwise, I will not rule out the possibility of contesting for another position in future intra party elections,” said Chatepa.
