Pay farmers, Milner Katolo urges Govt

By Fulman Mukobeko 

Zambia Must Prosper (ZMP) Vice President Milner Katolo says it is unfortunate that to date, farmers have not been paid what is owed to them by the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).

And Mr. Katolo is confident that the opposition alliance will triumph in the forth-coming General Elections.

Speaking in an interview, Counsel Katolo said it was sad that the FRA has not paid money owed to farmers.

“It is worrisome that farmers have not been paid. Long queues are been made, people are sleeping on the queues. We have been told that different platforms were being put in place for the payment to be smooth. Airtel has been engaged, MTN has been engaged and the banks have been engaged but you still see people sleeping in the corridors and others dying in the queues. We heard that two people died in Kasempa, North-western Province,” the Legal Practitioner said.

Counsel Katolo described the situation as unfortunate, charging that it showed lack of proper planning on the part of the Government.

“When you have bought maize to say 4 million people, there is no way you can say you are paying all of them at once. You must have a structured method of paying them.These people did not deliver maize to FRA in one day. They delivered over a period. So, the dispatching should have started earlier so that by the time we are reaching January now, we could have been talking about a handful of people (getting their money),” Counsel Katolo said, “This is not taking people seriously”.

Counsel Katolo wondered why it has been difficult to find money for farmers yet money for the Chawama by-election was easily found.

Counsel Katolo said the Chawama by-election was unnecessary and could have been avoided so that money is utilized to pay farmers who work hard to support food security in the nation.

“…The facts were very clear. Tasila Lungu-Mwansa (the former Member of Parliament of Chawama) was mourning her father Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu (ECL). ECL is still in the morgue unburied. No son or daughter in their right frame of mind can leave her or his father in a mortuary and start reporting for work. Where did we throw our Ubuntu as a people? Where did we throw our empathy as a people? Where do you put yourself in the position of another person and imagine it were you? These are things we must put in our governance system and ensure that we are fair with each other at all time,” Counsel Katolo said.

And Counsel Katolo says the defeat of the United Party for National Development (UPND) in the Chawama Parliamentary by-election on Thursday 15th January, 2026 was indicative of what would happen in forthcoming General Elections, on Thursday, 13th August 2026, saying the ruling party would suffer defeat in the said poll.

“You just saw recently that the ruling party was walloped in Chawama by Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) MP Elect Bright Nundwe, who beat Morgan ‘Big Machine Muunda’. I have no doubt in mind that, that situation will repeat itself in Kasama (Mayoral by-elections) and Yuda Chikweti will win. That shows the cohesion that is there with the opposition,” Counsel Katolo said.

According to the prominent legal counsel, the existing alliances could pull a surprise in the forth-coming elections.

Counsel Katolo said the opposition alliance was aware that the people of Zambia were just waiting for them to give them a flag bearer, emphasising that, that was what they were working on.

Meanwhile, in contrast to Bill 7 and Article 13 political pedigree, UPND male candidate Bywell Simposya is contesting the Thursday, January 29th 2026 Kasama Mayoral by Election, while Citizens First has settled for Aaron Zimba, with Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) Tonse Alliance choosing Yuda Chikweti, Socialist Party fielding Joseph Mukuka, United Prosperous and Peaceful Zambia (UPPZ) picking Mukuka Kapambwe.
New Focus Party (NFP) leader Richwell Siamunene has adopted Mary Busika.
The Kasama seat arose after the demise of Theresa Kolala, a Patriotic Front (PF) member on Friday 5th December 2025.