ZAMBIANS WANT CONSTITUTION AMENDED

ZAMBIANS WANT CONSTITUTION AMENDED

…Kabesha vows to press ahead with post-election reforms despite opposition, but rules out touching presidential term limit

 By Thandizo Banda

ATTORNEY General Mulilo Kabesha says the push for another constitutional amendment after the August 13 general elections is being driven by ordinary Zambians and not the United Party for National Development (UPND) government.

Kabesha has dismissed critics who have accused the ruling party of using constitutional reforms as a vehicle for consolidating political power.

Speaking in an interview with The Mast on Monday, Kabesha said the government was not the architect of the reform agenda but was responding to a ‘genuine’ public demand for changes to a constitution that had  significant legal gaps despite being amended only last year.

“It is not the UPND government’s push for a constitutional overhaul post-August election, but Zambians’ demand for that. It’s Zambians demanding the amendment and not the government. The government is not pushing for that, but the people of Zambia are,” Kabesha said.

He dismissed speculation that the post-election reforms were designed to remove the presidential term limit, which he said was mere rumour and fantasy.

“No, we don’t intend to touch the presidential office limit or term limit. Those are just fantasies in cobwebs,” Kabesha said.

He said the reform process would be comprehensive in scope, potentially including a complete repeal of the current constitution to address entrenched legal gaps that were hampering national development.

“Every normal Zambian should by now be focusing on the Bill of Rights, Part Three of the Constitution, which is a key area targeted for substantive reform. We wonder their motives in opposing the reforms, because they also vehemently objected to the amendment of Bill 7, claiming it should only be done after the 2026 general elections,” Kabesha said.

He said government was realistic in the manner it approached Constitution reforms to drive progress and not political drama.

“Our approach has been quite methodical- the crawl, walk, run arrangement, tackling easy wins first, building momentum, then diving into the tougher reforms,” he said.

Kabesha challenged stakeholders with reservations about the reform process to abandon political posturing and engage constructively with the government as active participants rather than passive critics.

“They are stakeholders, not spectators or opposers. The time to act is now, not politics. The government expects proactive involvement over political posturing. We need changes to the Bill of Rights,” Kabesha said.

Recently, Kabesha said the government will undertake a complete repeal of the Constitution once the process is fully budgeted for next year.

He said Government will prioritise major constitutional reforms after this year’s general elections, explaining that the electoral calendar and associated resource demands will determine the timing of any amendments.