HOME affairs and Internal Security Minister, Jack Mwiimbu has challenged Facebook-based pressure group calling itself the United Kwacha Alliance (UKA) to prove its a legal entity by producing a certificate of registration.
After losing grip of the Patriotic Front to Miles Sampa, former president Edgar Lungu rounded up lonely opposition leaders and their one-man parties and created UKA with hopes of using it to contest the 2026 elections which will usher him back into power.
UKA has since hit the ground sprinting and intends to hold a public campaign rally in Kafue at the weekend but police have not granted them a permit.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lusaka today, minsiter Mwiimbu said UKA’s intentions to hold a political rally cannot work because it is not recognised as a legal entity.
“They are even saying that they will participate in the election, well let them do so, it’s their constitutional right. Nobody stops anyone from participating in elections,” he said.
The minister further challenged UKA members to present a certificate of registration noting that as far as he was concerned, there was no such organisation existing in the country.
“I know that I will be insulted after this, but it’s my duty to inform the nation of the status and I challenge all those who are claiming to belong to UKA to produce a registration certificate that they have been registered,” Mwiimbu said.
Mwiimbu also revealed that the only thing that UKA did was making the name registration in February this year by its chairman Sakwiba Sikota through the registrar of societies which they said was for a pressure group.
However, the minister argued that the law requires that if one wants to register a pressure group, they should write to him as minister of Home Affairs and not to the registrar of societies.
He stated that he has not received any request till today of such kind up to now.
Further, Mwiimbu said police can not permit the alliance to go ahead with the rally because it was not registered.
Mwiimbu said that earlier this week, the Citizen’s First Party wanted to hold a public rally in Nchelenge and they notified the police who gave them a go ahead.
“That is because the Citizens First is a legal entity established under the laws of the country otherwise, it would be irresponsible for the police to permit an illegal entity to do anything they want”.
Mwiimbu said he does not recognise UKA legally.
“I don’t know who UKA is legally, I don’t know whether our people in this country want us to be dealing with illegal entities and I have no doubt in my mind that they want the law of this country to be followed. It is a duty of law enforcers to ensure that that is done,” said Mwiimbu.
By Buumba Mwitumwa
Kalemba April 10, 2024
