CCMG is deeply concerned with the arrest of Ndola Mayor and Kitwe Councillors. On 28th March 2024, Patriotic Front (PF) Ndola Mayor Jones Kalyati and two PF Kitwe Councillors were arrested on undisclosed charges by Zambia Police on the eve of the Deputy Mayoral Elections. This prevented them from participating in the Deputy Mayoral Elections which saw the UPND candidate win by a narrow margin. This development raises serious questions about the integrity and impartiality of Zambia’s public institutions like the Zambia Police, whose mandate is to enforce the law fairly and firmly for all citizens regardless of political affiliation while safeguarding democratic governance. CCMG fully recognizes the need to uphold the rule of law and due process, however, these arrests undermined the integrity of elections and democratic governance and erodes public trust in both the electoral system and the Zambia Police. These arrests can be interpreted as partisan and CCMG urges the Zambia Police to exercise professionalism, impartiality, and fairness in their conduct, to publicly release information related to the charges and the necessity of the timing of the arrests, and to conduct an internal investigation into the matter.
