Former Local Government Minister and longtime UPND […]

Former Local Government Minister and longtime UPND loyalist, Garry Nkombo was physically attacked by suspected UPND cadres while filing his nomination papers as an independent parliamentary candidate in Mazabuka Central on 20 May.

The incident has raised national debate after President Hakainde Hichilema condemned the violence and ordered the arrest of those involved, describing the attacks as unacceptable, undemocratic, and a direct violation of the rule of law.

However, speaking in an interview with Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Caritas Zambia Executive Director, Fr. Gabriel Mapulanga described the President’s warnings as “fake,” arguing that authorities have repeatedly failed to act decisively against political violence.

“Even this idea of saying you’ll be on your own if you do this and that, those are fake things because what people need to see is action and people should be arrested there and then,” said Fr. Mapulanga.

He questioned why police officers who were present during the disturbances in Mazabuka allegedly failed to immediately arrest the attackers despite the violence unfolding in full public view.

“When that thing was happening, the police were there, so why didn’t they arrest them there and then because if it was on the other side the police would have acted very quickly,” said Fr. Mapulanga.

He further argued that the Mazabuka incident shows that political cadre violence remains active despite repeated claims by government that cadreism had been eliminated after the UPND formed government in 2021.

“Cadreism has not gone and what we saw in Mazabuka is a clear sign that it is resurfacing even now,” said Fr. Mapulanga.

A check on Nkombo’s history with the UPND by ZBT revealed that he first entered Parliament on the UPND ticket in 2006 and successfully retained the Mazabuka Central seat in the 2011, 2016 and 2021 elections while also rising to become the party’s National Chairperson for Elections and later Party Whip in Parliament.

Following the UPND’s 2021 victory, Nkombo was appointed Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, where he became one of government’s most visible political figures before President Hichilema abruptly dismissed him from Cabinet on March 28, 2025, amid growing speculation of internal tensions within the ruling party.

Nkombo’s political sidelining deepened further in March 2026 after the UPND removed him from the party’s National Management Committee and stripped him of his elections portfolio, replacing him with Likando Mufalali following months of speculation about alleged presidential ambitions.

Meanwhile, Fr. Mapulanga warned that the growing confusion surrounding electoral reforms, political alliances and violence risks undermining public trust ahead of the 2026 general elections if authorities continue pretending to enforce the law selectively.

Article by Phillip Sinkala