Infighting rocks United Kwacha Alliance as Imboela, Sikota trade expulsion of rival camps

The future of the United Kwacha Alliance (UKA) has been thrown into uncertainty following a dramatic fallout between expelled National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader, Saboi Imboela, and UKA Chairperson Sakwiba Sikota.

Within 24 hours of her expulsion from the alliance, Imboela retaliated by announcing the expulsion of Sikota, accusing him of blackmail and demanding his retirement from active politics.

Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday at Precious Moments Lodge in Lusaka, Imboela claimed that Sikota, who represented her on a pro bono basis last year, was now demanding K30,000 in legal fees.

She alleged the demand followed her support for Citizens First leader Harry Kalaba as UKA’s preferred 2026 presidential candidate—a decision she said triggered two exculpatory letters from Sikota.

“I received two exculpatory letters from Grandpa Sikota—one for supporting Harry Kalaba and the other for addressing the media as UKA Media Chairperson and stating the truth,” Imboela said.

She accused Sikota and two other aspiring UKA presidential candidates of holding clandestine meetings with the Tonse Alliance in a bid to gain political backing.

“Bo Sikota has no powers to expel me from UKA. I hold equal authority and am only answerable to the Council of Presidents. I’m using the same powers to expel him,” she declared.

Imboela further criticised the alliance for lacking a formal constitution and accused its members of plotting against Kalaba before his departure from UKA.

To escalate matters, she announced the appointment of Revamp for Development Change Party president Robert Chansa as the new UKA Chairperson.

In accepting the role, Chansa dismissed Imboela’s expulsion as invalid, stating that no Council of Presidents had convened to decide her fate.

“There is no Council of Presidents that sat to expel Madam Imboela, so her expulsion is null and void,” Chansa said, pledging to reunite UKA and bring back former members.

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