Luapula police chief warns Umutomboko troublemakers

Luapula police chief warns Umutomboko troublemakers
By Mwala Kalaluka in Mansa
Saturday July 26, 2008 [10:53]

LUAPULA Province police commanding officer Dawson Siame has warned that the law will deal with people that will choose to ignore the watertight security arrangements at today's Umutomboko Ceremony in Mwansabombwe. Giving an update on the security interventions during this year's Umutomboko, Siame said yesterday that a platoon of paramilitary police officers from Kamfinsa in Kitwe had been dispatched to Mwansabombwe to maintain law and order during the traditional event.

"Then we also have 150 local police officers," Siame said. "We have six traffic vehicles from Zambia Police headquarters headed by a very senior police officer, assistant commissioner, in-charge of traffic in the whole country, to control traffic. So far so good."

He said the police would also work in conjunction with bar owners in Kazembe to ensure that there was no reckless consumption of alcohol during the Umutomboko Ceremony, which is expected be attended by the overall Lunda king, Mwata Yamvwa, from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), among other traditional leaders.

The 2008 Umutomboko coincides with the current Mwata Kazembe, Mpemba Kanyembo's tenth coronation anniversary.

Meanwhile, several activities have been lined up in the province in view of today's ceremony, among them a golf tournament slated for Mansa tomorrow and a beach party to be held under the auspices of the provincial administration in Samfya.

And provincial Road Development Agency (RDA) engineer Gilbert Nkweto said four small-scale contractors had been selected to patch up some potholed sections of the Tuta-Mansa-Mwense road.