LOYALTY and hard work define a leader, says Kennedy Kamba. He contends that, “I am one of the few devoted members of the Patriotic Front that wrestled power from the MMD.”

Kamba said those saying that there is disunity in the party are the ones bringing confusion in the PF. The former Lusaka Province PF youth chairman said what is being witnessed today is a healthy shadow boxing in an effort to choose best leaders. Kamba, a Lusaka Province chairmanship aspirant, said he was the only candidate who had no record of failure.

“We fought the regime of the MMD under my leadership when I was the youth chairman, we raised our voices and defeated characters like William Banda in Lusaka because of my leadership, we organised the youths in Lusaka…and that one is the most important achievements as youth chairman,” Kamba said. “We are talking of other candidates who have once defected to the MMD, they decided to stand as independent members of parliament, and some have been fired as permanent secretaries by the current President, so looking at loyalty and hard work, I beat them all. I strongly feel that the people of Lusaka have got no option but to vote for me based on those qualities, based on my loyalty and hard work.”

He said his team was receiving a lot of support especially from the rural part of Lusaka Province.

“We have been endorsed by Chirundu district, Lusaka deputy mayor Chilando Chitangala, PF Kafue constituency chairman Gibson Sinkala, PF Rufunsa constituency chairperson Elefa Tembo and Luangwa district chairperson honourable Patrick Ngoma,” Kamba said. “We are receiving support even in Chongwe and Kafue. My campaign message is being received well as you know my ascendancy to that position will give confidence to the grassroots, my winning at the provincial level will give that confidence and inspiration to the lower organs of the party because I am regarded as one of them.”

He said his record and experience in working for the party and the youths in particular puts him in good stead to win the forthcoming party elections.

Kamba said he had served under five secretary generals including the current party and Republican President Edgar Lungu.

“I am regarded as a person who is coming from the party structures, the lower organs…I have been youth chairman since 2009 and its time for me to move a step ahead so that I can provide leadership at the provincial level. I am happy that we are being supported by all the rural districts of Lusaka, the district chairmen I have mentioned, including Lusaka, we are working with them,” he said.

“Mine is loyalty. These elections we are not looking at how much Kennedy Kamba has, how much [Emmanuel] Chilubanama has, how much another person has. These elections are about loyalty, I have served the party under four secretary generals…Mr Chileshe Mulenga who is now the PS for home affairs was my first secretary general in the party, then came Mr Wynter Kabimba and then came Mr Davies Chama, I am now serving under Davies Mwila, I also served under the current President…I have served under five to six secretary generals including the current President. I have been loyal to the party leadership and have been loyal to the President, that’s the most important thing.”

Kamba said he had an impeccable record of serving the party and had never ditched the struggle to join other parties when the heat was unbearable. He further reminded the party that he pioneered the youth empowerment programme that saw the disbursement of K75,000 per constituency.

“The other thing is the issue of empowerment. We have raised money for the youths in Lusaka Province and have given out K75,000 per constituency of course under the leadership of our National Youth chairman honourable Stephen Kampyongo, that’s another achievement on my part. Looking at the loyalty and hardworking stance I have had, I think the people of Lusaka know that I am the best candidate compared to others,” Kamba said.

On disunity in the party, Kamba said what was being experienced was a normal process of intraparty democracy and was in no way a sign of a crack.

“There is no disunity in the party, what we are experiencing are as a result of having different candidates and preferences of who to support at the provincial level and after the elections, the party is going to emerge even stronger. There is no disunity, the President, His Excellency Edgar Chagwa Lungu, and the secretary general of the party are working 24/7 to make sure that they unite the party and the party emerges stronger,” Kamba said.

“After the elections, you are going to see that all differences will come to an end. When it’s election time you expect different factions to come up. This is what we experienced during the transition, following the death of president Michael Chilufya Sata. We have gone through this and it does not mean that people who were supporting Miles Sampa, people who were supporting Given Lubinda, and after we went to Kabwe we elected Edgar Chagwa Lungu as our presidential candidate, then those people should be chucked off the party…No! It does not mean that those people who are supporting Chilubanama, those people supporting Chimumbwa or Chuumbwe, when they lose and I know that they are going to lose, are going to be kicked out of the party…we are going to make sure that we embrace them and bring them back to the party. Of course others will be frustrated and when you are making decisions out of frustrations, that’s what happened to our colleagues.”

He said he would continue working to strengthen the party in an all-inclusive leadership approach once the electoral college gives him the mandate to serve as Lusaka Province chairman.

“I urge our members to be united. Our aim is that come 2021 we have only one candidate Edgar Chagwa Lungu and the party is not divided. Those that are saying that there is disunity in the party are the ones bringing confusion in the party. As candidates, what we need to do is to go through the party guidelines, the electoral code of conduct and reforms of the party, are you eligible to stand as a candidate at the province before you bring confusion and make people lose foresight and before others can blindly follow you? You have to realise are you a candidate at the province, that is number one…these are people who want to bring confusion in the party, we are not going to allow that. As at now the party is united and the President is enjoying maximum support from the party structures,” said Kamba.

“I have been youth chairman for Lusaka since 2009, I have never aspired for councillor, I have never aspired for member of parliament, I have never aspired for mayor. For me my job is to work for the party only and strengthen it.”