Kampyongo Cautions UPND Over Police Summons

Minister of Home Affairs Stephen Kampyongo has cautioned members of the United Party for National Development (UPND) over their behaviour in response to a police summons against party leader Hakainde Hichilema. 

He accused UPND officials of plotting to mobilise cadres to cause chaos when Hichilema is scheduled to appear before police on Wednesday. So far no evidence of such activity has come to light.

“No one is above the law and as such when police feel you are relevant to their investigations there should not be a fuss just because you are an opposition leader,” Kampyongo said.

Mr Hichilema was summoned to appear before police last week in connection to his ownership of Kalomo Farms. HH’s ownership of the property has been questioned in court by Chilufya Tayali, despite several previous investigations into the matter proving Hichilema’s rightful ownership. 

The Home Affairs Minister has been critical of UPND uproar over the police summons, explaining it is not unusual for politicians to answer to the police. 

“Mr Hakainde Hichilema is not the first politician and certainly not the last to be summoned by police to help with investigations and so the plans by UPND to mobilize themselves to cause chaos are very disheartening and highly unnecessary,” Kampyongo said.

However, Hichilema himself has disparaged the summons, dubbing it yet another instance of political persecution against himself.

“We have said before and we shall still say it now, that we don’t have to commit a crime for these summons, because the only crime we have committed in this country is to aspire for public office of our beautiful and resource endowed country which is being mismanaged,” he said yesterday.