I’M NOT SHAKEN – KAMPYONGO,OVER FIRE TRUCKS DEAL ALLEGATIONS

By SIMON MUNTEMBA UPND officials should avoid witch-hunting but focus on fulfilling campaign promises by fostering development and improving the country’s economy in line with the pronouncement made by President-elect Hakainde Hichilema, former Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo has said. Mr Kampyongo said it was unnecessary for the UPND leadership to start circulating an old false allegation of the 42 fire trucks in an effort to get at him, when the President-elect said it was time to focus on uniting the nation.  Mr Kampyongo however said that he was not shaken by the circulation of an old allegation on social media, purporting that he benefitted from the US$42 million fire tender contract because he was found innocent after investigations. He challenged those calling for his prosecution on false old allegations with the sole purpose of demonizing him to report him to the security wings if they had evidence. He was reacting to reports that the UPND Government would go after him because he got three vehicles as a reward for signing the $42 million fire truck deal when he was Minister of Local Government. Mr Kampyongo, who was re-elected PF Shiwang’andu Member of Parliament, said both Parliament through the Parliamentary Committee on the Code of Conduct and investigative wings probed the allegations and found him innocent. “This is an old false story which was investigated and dealt with by the security wings and they found that the allegations made by Mr Chishimba Kambwili were false. He (Mr Kambwili) was even made to stand on the dock of shame to apologise in Parliament. In 2018, Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini ordered Mr Kambwili, who was Roan MP, to apologise for breach of Parliamentary privilege after he made unsubstantiated allegations against Mr Kampyongo over the fire trucks deal.