PF retains Kasenengwa seat

THE ruling Patriotic Front (PF) has retained the Kasenengwa parliamentary constituency seat after its candidate Sensio Banda scored a landslide margin against his two rivals from opposition parties.

Mr Banda polled a total of 10, 346 votes against the other two contenders, Abel Ngwenya of United Prosperous and Peaceful Zambia (UPPZ) who got 1, 673 votes and John Zulu of People’s Alliance for Change (PAC) who polled 1, 597 votes. Speaking at a post-election media briefing at Kasenengwa Boarding School, Mr Banda said his agenda was to provide decent and reliable waters sources to the people in his constituency. He said people were expecting more support to improve their livelihoods. “Stakes are very high in a very short space of time we should be able to revamp and improve public services provision in the health sector, road network and education systems and services across the constituency. “To ensure that we are able to deliver, my primary agenda will be focused on engaging various stakeholders and cooperating partners so that we are able to influence and bring forth meaningful development that resonates with the needs of the people. “As a party we, should be able to deal with issues and deliver successfully within the working term I have before me,” he said. And Minister of Local Government Vincent Mwale pledged his support towards the development of Kasenengwa being a new district. Mr Mwale said from his experience in all the 65 polling stations, there was need for an improved road network, water and sanitation reticulation facilities. “Using the equalisation fund, they will be able to manage some of these critical services, as it will speed (up) development in all possible aspects of supporting improvement of the communities we are servicing,” Mr Mwale said. Kasenengwa parliamentary seat fell vacant after the death of Victoria Kalima in June this year. Meanwhile UPPZ president Charles Chanda says he would petition the election results due to alleged electoral misconduct by the Patriotic Front. Mr Chanda yesterday said the petition was on the horizon and vowed that the battle in Kasenengwa was not yet over. Meanwhile, the Patriotic Front is greatly indebted to the people of Kasenengwa, Zambezi and Kasempa for their expression of confidence in the current leadership, ruling Patriotic Front (PF) secretary general Davies Mwila has said. Mr Mwila said that the victory in the recent by-elections was a clear signal that Zambians had rejected UPND’s politics of bitterness, lies, hatred, cheap propaganda and regionalism. He said in a statement yesterday that Zambians fully understood that the hope which the opposition political parties preached about was nothing but a mirage.