EMBARRASED by Davies Mwila’s land grabbing orders to PF cadres, President Edgar Lungu says the allocation of land is the preserve of the councils.

According to his press aide Amos Chanda, President Lungu met with the PF Secretary General and other stake holders on the administration of land, bus stations and markets.

“The President wishes to emphasise that the operations of bus stops, market and land allocation are a preserve of local councils of respective councils. So all party and government officials must stick by the stated policy which is very clear that the councils and local authorities are the only authority charged with the responsibility to manage the markets and bus stops and the allocation of land,” said Chanda.

“The President wishes to emphasise that dialogue must take place between stakeholder groups that may come into conflicts with certain issues such as markets, bus stations and land. No other authority should take the law into their own hands and purport that they are administering this bus stop to the exclusion of any other interest groups.”

On January 16, 2017, Mwila urged PF councilors to share land amongst them before advertising the rest to the public. Mwila also told PF cadres to take over the running of bus stations saying it was important for a ruling party to assert its strength.

But Mwila received widespread criticism with the opposition and women’s groups calling for his dismissal.

FDD spokesperson Antonio Mwanza reported Mwila to the police demanding that he be arrested because his directives were criminal.