LUSAKA Province PF secretary Kennedy Kamba says Matero member of parliament Lloyd Kaziya will not be adopted to stand on the ruling party ticket this year because he has failed to perform in his constituency.

Commenting on Kaziya’s remarks that winning parliamentary elections in 2021 would be more about individual popularity because no one could stop the wind of change, Kamba argued that there was no wind of change in the country, but that the only change that was guaranteed was that there would be a new MP in Matero after the forthcoming polls.

“To me, I think Kaziya has logged off, he has switched off in terms of giving services to the people of Matero. I can assure him that he cannot be adopted in Matero because he has not performed. Let Kaziya not cheat himself, I will challenge Kaziya to stand on the UPND ticket in Matero. I am sure even the UPND cannot adopt Kaziya in Matero constituency. There is no wind of change in the country because this country has been developed by the PF government. Kaziya is dreaming! The only wind of change in Matero is Lloyd Kaziya, who is not bouncing back! Come 2021, after August, there will be a new MP in Matero,” Kamba said in an interview.

“The people of Matero now know who Kaziya is. He is a reject and I can assure you that as a party in Matero, we are not even in a good relationship with Kaziya. If he has decided to stand on the UPND ticket, let him not insult where he is coming from because even where he is going, they are not going to trust him. Can Kaziya be entrusted by the UPND members just because of insulting the leaders of President Lungu and the PF?”

He also expressed shock that Kaziya claimed that government did assist him to develop Matero when he was a former Cabinet minister.

“So, when Kaziya says that, ‘the ruling party is allowing members of the party, who are aspiring to be MPs in various constituencies to sell themselves,’ and he claims to be popular, the other side, he is crying! If he’s popular, why is he stopping other candidates from making themselves available to the people? Because this is the right time. In February, March, Parliament is going to be dissolved. Kaziya goes ahead to tell the Zambian people that he has not worked because ‘government was not helping him.’ He is forgetting that he was a Cabinet minister in charge of Water and Sanitation. Today, he wants to blame government that they didn’t help him to take development to Matero. Let him not fool himself and let him not fool the people of Matero,” Kamba said.

“As a party, we know that Kaziya has not performed and if someone has not performed, he has to be remorseful and apologise to the people, not to start lying! Why is Given Lubinda in Kabwata not complaining about Danny Yenga, who has made himself available to the people of Kabwata that he is going to contest on the PF ticket? Why is Given Lubinda not complaining? Given Lubinda cannot complain because he has worked in Kabwata in terms of development. Kaziya was fired because he failed to deliver development to the people of Matero. Was Kaziya not a Cabinet minister? Today, he wants to put the same blame on the ministers and government that ‘you are not helping him to take development to Matero?’ Why are other members of the party not complaining? We have Bizwell Mutale in Munali; we have constituency chairman in Mandevu…Is Jean Kapata complaining in Mandevu? The answer is no because Jean Kapata knows that she has worked in Mandevu.”

Kamba stressed that the ruling party in Matero constituency was more popular than any individual.

“Matero is one of our strongholds in Lusaka District and, currently, it is the highest in terms of registered number of voters at constituency-level. It is because of the performing of the structures in Matero constituency that is why we attained those numbers. The PF is bigger than an individual. We don’t look at the wealth of a person to be adopted. The party in Lusaka District, particularly Matero, is one of the strongholds. Whoever is going to stand on the party based on the recommendations from the people in Matero, we are going to scoop that seat. I can dare the UPND to adopt Kaziya as MP and see if they are going to win. Miles Sampa tried us in Matero what happened? Did he win in Matero? No. The party in Matero is more popular than individuals,” said Kamba.