PARLIAMENT IN UPROAR
…as Chimwemwe lawmaker is rebuked by Speaker after disruptive outburst over presidential poll outcomes derails house debate
By DAVID KANDUZA
PARLIAMENT on October13, 2026, descended into shouting matches as Chimwemwe Member of Parliament, Mwenya Musenge, sparked a fierce uproar by launching into a scathing critique of the presidential election results.
The political fireworks began in the afternoon during what was supposed to be a routine debate on Presidential speech.
Taking the floor, Mr Musenge quickly deviated from the order paper, to question the integrity of the just-ended general election.
He claimed that the declared presidential outcomes did not reflect the true will of the Zambian electorate, immediately drawing furious interjections from the front and back benches.
As ruling party lawmakers rose to their feet in protest, shouting over the opposition MP, the chamber devolved into a wall of sound.
Pointing fingers and banged desks echoed through the house, forcing parliamentary orderly staff to step forward to maintain decorum.
The rising tension was abruptly cut short by the Speaker, who repeatedly banged the gavel to restore order.
“Order! Honorable members, order in the house!” the Speaker directed, visibly frustrated by the sudden collapse of parliamentary discipline.”
The rising tension was abruptly cut short by the first Deputy Speaker, Malungo Chisangano, who repeatedly banged the gavel to restore order.
Turning a stern gaze toward the Chimwemwe lawmaker, the Ms Chisangano delivered a sharp reprimand, reminding Mr Musenge in no uncertain terms to stick strictly to the subject under discussion.
“The honourable member for Chimwemwe is reminded that this house is currently debating the Presidential speech, not the grievances of the electoral commission,” she ruled.
“If the honourable member wishes to contest election results, he must take those matters to the courts of law, not use the floor of this house to trigger anarchy. Stick to the subject at hand I will be forced to terminate your time.”
Visibly irritated but forced to comply, Mr Musenge pivotally shifted his focus, steering his contribution toward the dire utility crisis gripping his constituency.
He launched a passionate complaint over the perennial poor water supply and abysmal sanitation infrastructure plaguing Chimwemwe, appealing frantically to the authorities to step in and change the situation before history repeats itself.
Chimwemwe Township was the infamous ground zero for the devastating 1992 cholera outbreak in Kitwe.
That historic epidemic quickly spiraled out of control, sweeping through surrounding towns like Kalulushi, Chibuluma, and Chambishi, and leaving thousands of people dead in one of the worst health disasters the country had ever recorded.
Though the political temperature remained electric following the earlier election clash, the lawmaker’s grim reminder of Chimwemwe’s vulnerability left a heavy, lingering silence over the front benches, highlighting the stark reality of the infrastructure deficiencies under debate.