Kabwe Residents Give Police Notice Of Protest Over Poll Results

Residents of Kabwe have notified police of a planned peaceful demonstration against the general election results, setting up the first organised street challenge to the outcome in a town where three separate races are in dispute. The Kabwe election protest concerns results in…

Residents of Kabwe have notified police of a planned peaceful demonstration against the general election results, setting up the first organised street challenge to the outcome in a town where three separate races are in dispute.

The Kabwe election protest concerns results in Kabwe Central, Bwacha North and Bwacha South, together with the mayoral election. The residents describe the outcome as the product of a fraudulent poll and say they want answers from the Electoral Commission of Zambia.

Their complaints include allegations of irregularities across those races and of interference by armed personnel. Those allegations are untested and have not been the subject of any published finding.

What The Law Requires

Zambian law does not require permission to hold a public gathering. It requires notification.

Under the Public Order Act, organisers give police advance notice of the time, place and purpose of an assembly, and the police role is to regulate for order and safety rather than to grant or withhold approval. A notified demonstration that proceeds peacefully is a lawful exercise of the right to assemble.

That places a duty on the police in Kabwe. They are required to engage the organisers on arrangements, and if they hold concerns about the venue or timing, to propose alternatives rather than simply prohibit.

Police in Central Province have not publicly stated their position on the notification, and no date has been confirmed for the demonstration.

The Electoral Commission has not responded to the specific complaints raised by the Kabwe residents. Petitions challenging results in several constituencies are already before the High Court, and an aggrieved party in any parliamentary race retains the right to petition within the period the law allows.

Title Deeds In Makululu

The notification arrives in the same week that the area member of parliament turned to delivery.

Bwacha South member of parliament Sydney Mushanga handed 135 title deeds to residents of Makululu, a township long associated with insecure tenure, and framed the exercise as the fulfilment of a campaign commitment.

“During the campaigns, we promised our people the provision of title deeds, and today, 135 residents of Makululu have received their title deeds,” Mr Mushanga said.

He described the handover as more than ceremonial.

“This is more than a ceremonial occasion. It marks a profound shift from uncertainty to security, from vulnerability to empowerment, and from marginalisation to recognition and dignity. We promised, and we are delivering. Now, we get back to work,” he said.

Mr Mushanga thanked Habitat for Humanity Zambia, the Ministry of Lands and the provincial administration for facilitating the exercise, and said the period after the elections called for peace accompanied by hard work.

He has held the Bwacha South seat across four terms, and has previously served as a provincial minister. He has described his own approach to the seat in terms of remaining resident among constituents and treating accessibility as the basis of the mandate.

“The greatest hallmark of being a member of Parliament is listening to the people. You will never go wrong. Listen to what they want; do not impose things on them,” Mr Mushanga said in comments on his record in the constituency.

The Two Things Happening At Once

Kabwe is doing two things in the same week, and both are ordinary in a constitutional democracy.

A lawmaker is delivering on a campaign promise, which is what a mandate is for. Residents who believe the count that produced part of that mandate was wrong are organising to say so publicly, which is what the right to assemble is for.

Neither cancels the other. A demonstration does not invalidate a title deed, and a title deed does not answer a question about a tally.

The measure of how this period is handled will be whether the notified demonstration proceeds without incident, whether police treat the notification as the law frames it, and whether the Electoral Commission addresses the specific complaints rather than the general ones.

Residents have made their notification. The next move belongs to the police.