Maravi

Nkombo reveals Kunda’s covert scheme

Nkombo reveals Kunda’s covert scheme
By Chibaula Silwamba
Sat 06 Mar. 2010, 04:20 CAT

MAZABUKA Central parliamentarian Gary Nkombo yesterday claimed that Vice-President George Kunda asked him with his Siavonga counterpart Douglas Syakalima to covertly work with the UPND in 2008 as he had no confidence in then acting President Rupiah Banda.

Reacting to Vice-President Kunda’s continued allegation that UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema was earmarked to be replaced by Nkombo and Syakalima would be appointed vice-president of the party, Nkombo said he had resorted to reveal whatever Vice-President Kunda, then justice minister, told him in confidence.

Nkombo said in September 2008 at the Parliament balcony, Vice-President Kunda asked to covertly work with the UPND because he had no confidence in President Banda, whom he described as a dictator.

“Mr Banda must know, and I have proof to this effect that Mr George Kunda did not even have confidence in him at the time that he ascended to the office of the Presidency.

During the campaign, George Kunda came to Douglas Syakalima and I to usher his officials from the MMD in Muchinga to start working with us covertly because he did not have any confidence that he will be retained in the new Rupiah Banda government. That is the fact and I challenge George Kunda to refute,” Nkombo said.

“At the balcony of Parliament, George Kunda, myself and Douglas Syakalima spoke about this matter. But you know luck favours fools, he already forgets that we also have a lot of information that can be backed by evidence that George Kunda was going to usher his entire Muchinga Constituency committee to start working covertly with the UPND.

Mr Mwanawasa died on the 19th August 2008, right? Kunda approached us in the first week of September 2008. He was dead scared. He called Mr Rupiah Banda a dictator. Mr George Kunda did not support Mr Rupiah Banda’s candidacy and everybody knows that, it should not even be a secret. Mr Banda called him maybe to start galvanising the MMD.”

He said there was a lot he knew about Vice-President Kunda.

“He Vice-President Kunda said he wanted to be with the UPND if Rupiah Banda threw him out. So he is a double- tongued fellow and not to be trusted. If George Kunda has got what it takes, let him stand up and challenge that statement.

There is a lot that we can say about our interaction with George Kunda when he was justice minister, how scared he was with Rupiah Banda, how he called Rupiah Banda a dictator. We have got that information. We have had several meetings with George Kunda, Douglas Syakalima and myself.

But he forgets that politics must remain politics. But since he has started now making these stupid innuendoes, we have no choice but to expose him.”

He said Vice-President Kunda had no confidence in the systems he works with.
Nkombo said he had a lot of respect for the office of the Vice-President but not Kunda.

Nkombo said Vice-President Kunda was concocting lies about the UPND that never existed.

Labels: DOUGLAS SYAKALIMA, GARY NKOMBO, GEORGE KUNDA

posted by MrK @ 8:50 AM