Kitwe United face eviction?

INFORMATION has emerged indicating that Kitwe United Football Club is occupying Garden Park Stadium illegally.

According to a letter obtained by Daily Nation, Kitwe Playing Field Association (KPF) has written to the club to vacate the stadium noting that the association would put in measures to secure the stadium. “Reference is made to the above captioned matter. Particular attention to the letter from the Ministry of Local Government dated 10th February 2020 and signed by the acting Permanent Secretary Mr. Tobias Chomba. “It hereby follows that this letter serves as notice of eviction with immediate effect from Garden Park. Please take note that KPF association shall put in measures to safeguard the premises,” read the letter signed by unnamed board member and unnamed chairman directed to the board of directors at Kitwe United Football Club. However, the Kitwe City Council who have majority shares in Kitwe United FC have denied allegations that the club had been evicted from Garden Park Stadium. Kitwe City Council public relations officer manager Roy Kuseka said the Kitwe Playing Field consent Judgement provides no room for eviction of clubs from the facility. Kuseka said that the deed incorporating the KPF as an association in or about 1957 did establish a board of trustees of eminent businessmen and institutions or stakeholders to manage the association as an entity on behalf of the community and for the benefit of the public. He said that there was a saving clause in the deed that states that in the event that the association went bankrupt or failed to carry out its functions, the council being the legitimate and democratically elected representatives of the people of Kitwe would retain or assume ownership of the KPF facility and its properties until such a time that a new board drawn from stakeholders was constituted. Kuseka said following the death of most of the original trustees and the collapse of some companies, the KPF Association went in a limbo and most of the activities ceased other than football and that is how the Council took full control of the properties and shifted Kitwe United Football Club from its Buchi Stadium to KPF. He said that the KPF was a public facility for the members of the community and no single individual or institution could claim absolute ownership according to the consent judgement. “The Consent Judgement between Kitwe Playing Fields Association Limited (Plaintiff) and The Secretary General, Kitwe United Football Club (1st Defendant) & Kitwe City Council (2nd Defendant) does not in any way empower the KPFA Limited Board to evict a party they signed the consent judgement with,” Kuseka said. And Kuseka said the local authority was studying the matter and may seek court interpretation of the consent judgment in the interest of the community if the position persisted.