Lungu urges traditional leaders to support Bill 10

SUPPORT the enactment of Bill 10 for chieftaincy challenges to be easily resolved, President Edgar Lungu has called on traditional leaders.

This follows calls by headmen in Mwansabombwe to upgrade Senior Chief Mwata Kazembe to Paramount status.

During a meeting yesterday at Mable Shaw Girls Secondary School in Mbereshi, the traditional leaders said Mwata Kazembe deserved the status of Paramount chief because he had a lot of chiefs under him.

In response, President Lungu said currently he did not have any powers to appoint any chief to any position.

He said Article 165 of the Republican Constitution bars anyone from interfering in the affairs of chieftainships.

President Lungu however said the current status had left chieftaincies vulnerable because they could not receive protection or intervention from Government when needed.

He said currently anyone could appoint himself chief and cause trouble for recognised traditional leaders because Government could not intervene.

President Lungu said he could not even upgrade any traditional leader to Senior Chief or Paramountcy status.

“That mandate ended with former President Kenneth Kaunda. Us we cannot make any upgrades because Article 165 bars us from getting involved,” he said.

President Lungu however said the enactment of Bill 10 into law would enable Government intervene in chieftaincy challenges where necessary.

He said it was only with the enactment of Bill 10 that he would be able to upgrade the status of some chiefs to Senior Chief or Paramountcy.

President Lungu appealed to traditional leaders not to be swayed by doomsayers over Bill 10 because it was progressive and aimed at restoring order in the country.

THE UPND is using emissaries to circulate propaganda to cause confusion in the country, Patriotic Front (PF) national chairperson for mobilisation Richard Musukwa has said.

Meanwhile, President Lungu said he was appalled by reports that some clergyman had regrouped with the agenda of ushering a clergyman into the Presidential office.

President Lungu said the notion that the current politicians were not Christians was wrong.

“We are not pagans, we are Christians, Lungu is a Christian,” he said.

President Lungu called on the clergy to work with Government as they shared the agenda of uplifting lives of people.

This was during a meeting with the Pastors Association of Mwansabombwe shortly after meeting traditional leaders.

Mr Musukwa said the opposition had created a number of social media platforms to feed the public with lies to cause mayhem in the country.

He said that UPND leadership wanted to ascend to power using all possible means, hence trying to discredit the Government through malicious propaganda.

He said such manoeuvers would not scare the ruling party but would continue to unearth all lies being spread across the country.

Mr Musukwa