By 
Citizens First Party president, Harry Kalaba, has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Tonse Pamodzi chieftain, Celestine Mambula Mukandila, describing the continued detention and administrative revocation of his National Registration Card and Passport as a dangerous escalation in the weaponisation of State institutions.
Kalaba said the actions taken against Mukandila, the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance Deputy Secretary General represent a direct assault on constitutionalism and the rule of law in Zambia.
In a statement issued in Lusaka on Saturday, Kalaba argued that the matter extended beyond one individual and touches on the rights of thousands of Zambians living outside the country.
He emphasized that there was nothing unlawful about a Zambian citizen being born outside the country.
He noted that the Constitution expressly provided for citizenship by descent where the requirements were met.
Kalaba warned that if the State began questioning the citizenship of persons by descent simply because of place of birth, it would send the wrong signal to Zambians in the diaspora, including children of diplomats and public servants serving abroad.
“The exercise of public power must always be grounded in law, due process, and constitutionalism. Politics must never take us to a point where we become so vengeful that we begin weaponising State institutions against people with whom we disagree,” he said.
Kalaba further criticized the manner in which Mukandila’s documents were revoked, stating that public authorities acted without following lawful procedures or affording the individual a meaningful opportunity to be heard.
“Political differences are an essential part of democracy and must be confronted through debate and lawful democratic processes, not through intimidation, selective enforcement, or the abuse of public office,” he stated.
Kalaba directed part of his address to President Hakainde Hichilema, urging him to uphold constitutional principles and ensure that State institutions were not used to punish dissenting views.
He reminded the Head of State that presidential tenure was temporary while institutions must endure.
“Give Celestine Mukandila an opportunity to be heard and more importantly put a stop to declaring a man stateless simply because he holds contrary political views. That is what it means to be a democracy. People should not be punished for holding different political views,” Kalaba said.
On the international front, Kalaba acknowledged statements by the United Nations Special Rapporteur but said words alone were no longer sufficient and called for more concrete action given what he described as a shrinking democratic space.
“The time for quiet diplomacy or diplomatic observation has passed; the time for urgent intervention is now,” he said.
Kalaba reiterated his party’s demand for the release of all political detainees and an immediate return to constitutionalism, warning that silence risks normalizing a dangerous precedent for future generations.
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