In this audio, expelled Roan PF member of parliament Chishimba Kambwili says he decided to shun the National Day of Prayer after realizing that it was a ruling party provincial rally.

And Kambwili says government must rescind the fuel price increment or negotiate better salaries for civil servants.

Meanwhile, Kambwili has charged that even though the ACC found nothing incriminating on him, it is under pressure to manufacture charges.

Speaking to a journalist on the Copperbelt yesterday, Kambwili said he shunned the national prayers after learning that PF ferried hundreds of party cadres from all over the province to attend the event.

“There is absolutely nothing wrong with the day of national prayer, fasting and reconciliation and whatever your call it but what is wrong is how you organise it. I was more than keen to go and attend these prayers but when I learnt that the PF hired buses to pick at least two hundred cadres from each of the districts on the Copperbelt, I said I would rather stay home and pray at home than go for a political rally,” Kambwili said.

“What is happening in Kitwe today is not a prayer meeting, it is a PF provincial rally. They have taken 200 cadres from each districts, they sent Higer buses to pick them, not ordinary people in the streets, cadres! Then the whole essence of prayer has been diluted and I don’t want to be part of that situation. I support the idea of a day of prayer and reconciliation but not to politicize it the way it has been.”

And he said it was insensitive of the PF to increase fuel prices.

“We have an increase in the price of fuel. Well, not just too long ago, in fact the advert of Edgar Lungu’s 100 days in office is still running on ZNBC and one of the things that they have been boasting about is that we have reduced the cost of fuel. How can they be so insensitive to the plight and suffering of the people of Zambia? On the Copperbelt, we have terrible unemployment and most of the people that were retrenched at Mopani have not been called. Luanshya mine, Baluba mine has not been opened. The ex-miners of Luanshya mine are still suffering. As if that is not enough, you go and increase the price of fuel. As if that is not enough, you are even contemplating removing the Hiace buses from operating as minibuses. I think we need to go back to the drawing boards. We have a leadership that is not caring about the plight of the people,” he said.

“When I held my press briefing, I talked about the unreasonableness of increasing the salaries for the civil servants before the budget is unveiled. You give them nine per cent then you increase the price of fuel, that nine percent is already diluted now because when fuel goes up, everything goes up. Look at the cost of electricity, here at my house I’m spending K500 for four days. What kind of a government are they? What kind of people are they who don’t think of the poor? This price of fuel must be rescinded. Give the people of Zambia a break. If they don’t rescind the best they can do is to go and renegotiate the salary increment for the civil servants. At least give them 30, 40 [per cent] salary increament or 50 per cent. That will be reasonable to cushion this increase in fuel price, in electricity and also the increase in the cost of living. But to go and give civil servants 10 per cent that you have increased salary? They knew that they are going to increase fuel so they duped the civil servants into giving them and accepting 10 per cent before they do all these things. It is sad for Zambia. All those who are in leadership without exception must know that we get into leadership not for ourselves but to serve the poor people.”

And Kambwili said he was eager for the ACC to publish their findings on him because he was the one who had suffered the most since investigations began.

“In all this scenario, the person who has suffered the most is myself. It is like I have been in prison. I’m a prisoner of conscious for the past year. We have been waiting for these revelations. But I tell you, inside from the anti corruption, let not government pretend. What [PF secretary general Davies] Mwila was saying or Lungu that ‘we are disappointed the ACC’, no, let them not pretend. The anti corruption guys from inside have told me ‘there is no case to answer but we have been told not to communicate’. They have been told that at no cost try and find a case against him but they have failed to do that. I would be more than pleased if today they can announce the outcome of their investigations. I’m as clean as Dr [Kenneth] Kaunda’s handkerchief. If I had stolen would I be here today? With the hatred that has been shown towards me ngabankaka kale. I’m a clean man. Very clean,” said Kambwili.

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