Step down, FDD tells ‘partisan’ Kabesha
By Thandizo Banda
THE opposition Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) has challenged Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha to resign for his alleged partisan conduct that has compromised the integrity of his office and undermined the constitution-making process.
But Kabesha has defended his actions, stating he is a civil servant doing his job in a non-political manner.
Speaking in an interview with The Mast, FDD spokesperson Anthony Chibuye said Kabesha was fundamentally unsuitable to hold the office of Attorney General because of the manner he had mishandled issues surrounding the death and burial of the late former president Edgar Lungu as among the most glaring examples of his political alignment with the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND).
“The AG is overly seen as aligned with the ruling UPND party. His conduct in various matters of national interest is highly questionable. As FDD, we wish to repeat our call for Kabesha to exercise the highest moral appeal by stepping down due to his failure to manage his position with impartiality and professionalism,” Chibuye said.
He said Zambia had never at any point in its history been served by an Attorney General who was so openly politically aligned.
“If Kabesha does not want to resign, then let President Hakainde Hichilema help the country to get rid of him,” Chibuye said.
He said Kabesha’s recent assertion that Zambia would embark on another constitutional reform exercise after the August 13 general elections was manipulative and an example of his failure to provide independent counsel to the executive.
Chibuye said Kabesha, as an ex officio member of the executive, had abandoned his constitutional duty to guide and restrain politicians, instead choosing to facilitate the rushed passage of legislation such as Act No. 13 of 2025.
“The country will recall that last year, the UPND administration became so desperate and obsessed with Bill 7, which 70 percent of our country’s population rejected. However, because of arrogance and manipulation, the Constitution was amended at the will of politicians in the UPND and some PF surrogates, ignoring the concerns and interests of the people of Zambia,” he said.
Chibuye said the Kabesha had failed to heed the counsel of respected institutions including the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) and the Non-Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council (NGOCC), both of which had advised that constitutional amendments be deferred until after the 2026 general elections to allow for a holistic and inclusive review process.
“The constitution is not a document that we should allow the UPND to change at will, like they change shoes. If Mr Kabesha and the UPND are serious, they should have listened to people, including the ZCCB and NGOCC, among those who advised that the constitution amendments be deferred until after the 2026 general elections so that the constitution could be holistically reviewed and necessary changes effected. But this fell on deaf ears,” Chibuye said.
He warned that tinkering with the Constitution carried consequences far beyond the immediate political moment.
Chibuye said constitutional alterations by the UPND could have lasting impacts on governance, accountability, citizens’ rights, checks on executive power, electoral processes and the devolution of power.
“Altering the constitution can have far-reaching impacts on governance, accountability and citizens’ rights. In Zambia’s context, this could affect checks on executive power, electoral processes, or indeed devolution of power,” he said.
Chibuye also linked Kabesha’s partisan conduct directly to the ongoing legal standoff between the government and the Lungu family following Mr Lungu’s death in South Africa.
He said Kabesha had chosen party patronage over the integrity of the nation at a moment that demanded statesmanship.
“Today, the country has also been paralysed in the legal standoff between our government and the former first family because the Attorney General has chosen to play politics and party patronage over the integrity of the nation,” Chibuye said.
He appealed to voters to turn out in large numbers on August 13 and vote out President Hichilema and the UPND before further damage was done to the country’s constitutional architecture.
“Our country is not safe anymore with these people we have in government. Their approach to Bill 7 and now the desire to once again change the constitution they desperately changed last year only means that our country will fall into great danger if President Hichilema is not removed,” Chibuye said.
But Kabesha said he was a professional civil servant and that he was executing his mandate in an apolitical.
“I am simply carrying out my duties as a civil servant as required by law. You might be aware that as a lawyer, I’ve represented members of different political parties including the FDD”, Kabesha said.
He told The Mast in an exclusive interview that his role was to uphold the law and not take sides in political matters.
“As Attorney General, I’m a government lawyer doing work for every Zambian irrespective of political or social standing. So mere allegations of bias, do not undermine my professionalism,” he said.
