Gov’t wanted political mileage from ECL burial - Saki

By MUBITA KATETE

THE Zambian government had abandoned its constitutional duty in its handling of the death of former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu and the events of the past year are a reflection of a serious failure to uphold the Constitution and respect the rights of a former Head of State, State Counsel Sakwiba Sikota has said.

Mr. Sikota SC, the chairperson of We are One Zambia Alliance (WOZA) says the prolonged impasse surrounding the burial of late former President Lungu was evidence that the UPND government had failed in both its legal and moral obligations.

Mr. Sikota argued that there had been no justification for the suffering endured by both the Lungu family and the nation over the past year, stating that the situation could have been avoided had authorities respected the law and the wishes of the family and those of the former head of State.

“The events of the past year surrounding the burial of former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu stand as evidence of the government’s failure to defend and protect the Constitution of the Republic of Zambia,” Mr. Sikota said.

He cited Section 4 of the Benefits of Former Presidents Act, Cap 15, which places responsibility on government to provide medical care, security, and support to former heads of state, accusing authorities of neglecting that obligation while former President Lungu was alive.

Mr. Sikota further stated government failed to distinguish between justice and political interests, arguing that constitutional obligations were replaced by confrontation and political calculations.

He explained that the mishandling of the matter had resulted in the burial of a former President being dragged into prolonged litigation in foreign courts, with an outcome he described as damaging to Zambia’s sovereignty and deeply painful for the bereaved family.

He stressed that the Constitution remains supreme and belongs to all citizens, adding that government’s primary responsibility was to defend it regardless of political considerations.

“The Constitution is supreme. It belongs to all Zambians. The government’s primary duty is to defend it. In the case of former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, that duty was abandoned,” he said.

Mr. Sikota has since called on the Legislature, Executive, Judiciary, and all institutions of state to act strictly within the law and ensure that former presidents are treated according to constitutional provisions rather than political convenience.

He has urged state institutions to safeguard constitutional principles for the benefit of future leaders and preserve the country’s democratic values.