LUSAKA Mayor Miles Sampa has applied for adoption to contest as Matero member of parliament on the PF ticket.
Speaking to journalists, Saturday, Sampa, who withdrew his application to re-contest the mayoral position, said he left some unfinished business in Matero.
He also endorsed councillor Chilando Chitangala to take over from him.
“I had earlier applied to stand as mayor because I had only done three years and then I wanted to do a lot of projects. That was the initial intention but you are not an island, it is not a fixed position all the time. We need to learn to be flexible and also there is chance to support the women and if we move one step and don’t apply for the mayoral, there is a chance that a new mayor may be a female so I want to be of supporting the female folks. You know, councillor Chitangala has applied so she stands a better chance and if I had applied also, I was going to knock off a woman to take over as mayor. Where is my next move? I would like to confirm with you that I am applying to stand as MP for Matero because I was their MP from 2011 and as you may know, there is a lot of unfinished business I started there,” said Sampa.
“We started the Metro Cabs and many other things and most importantly, the football team there, Lusaka Tigers, when I was an MP 2011, I have found it in division two, in 2015 it got in division one and to premiere, it had never been in premiere in like 30 years. When I left, it has been relegated twice back to division one and now division two, that is another thing I want to go back and take them to premiere. Go back and continue where we left. I must confirm that I have already put in the application to the PF secretariat, to the district and province kwashala fye ku Matero nala twala ichungulo pantu chifwile chilile (I want to take it in the evening, we have to celebrate). And I must tell you that for mayor I want to endorse Chitangala to take over from me.”
Former special assistant to the president for press and public relations Dixon Jere and Eden University proprietor Kelvin Kaunda are the other notables who have also applied to be adopted for Matero.