Opposition Zambia Wake-Up Party (ZAWAPA) leader Howard Kunda says the current compensations being awarded to Government officials and United Party for National Development (UPND) supporters by courts are daylight robbery and they shouldn’t even defend themselves.
The Lusaka High Court yesterday entered a consent judgment awarding UPND Lusaka Province Chairperson Obvious Mwaliteta and James Sichomba K900,000 each as compensation for wrongful prosecution.
Transport Minister Frank Tayali was this week Monday awarded K450, 000 by the Lusaka High Court on account of the trauma occasioned to him by the police who pointed a gun at him in 2020.
Radio Incengelo reports that Kunda has alleged that compensation amounts to looting public funds.
“I am saddened by the issue of these huge compensations; I think our country is worsening in terms of governance. You can’t imagine that this is the kind of change the people of Zambia voted for, the change that we should put money in the pockets of these leaders in this manner.
” I think they should be ashamed of themselves by wanting to loot the resources of the country through this same compensation,” Kunda said.
The former Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee Chairperson warned that people getting huge compensations risk being prosecuted and jailed in future.
“If our forefathers who fought for our independence resorted to wanting to get compensation after independence, how much money were we going to remain with? All the money would have gone to compensate freedom fighters.
These compensations by this government are daylight robbery and they shouldn’t even defend themselves. This is something all of us must be against. When ZAWAPA is voted in office in 2026 everyone who has stolen money from the people of Zambia in this way of compensation will not only pay back but also be jailed,” Kunda said.