The Young African Leaders Initiative – YALI – has asked President Edgar Lungu to consider extending his prerogative mercy to incarcerated Chilanga lawmaker, Keith Mukata, exiled activist Gregory Chifire, among other imprisoned persons for pardon during the National Day of Prayer and Reconciliation.
In a message to mark the 4 years after the 2016 General Elections, YALI Governance Advisor and Legal Advisor Isaac Mwanza has called on leaders and the general citizenry to reconcile, forgive one another and support Government in developing the nation and conducting peaceful 2021 elections.
“We want to earnestly ask President Lungu to lead efforts in reconciling Zambians as the country prepares for general election, exactly one year from now,” said Mr. Mwanza.
Mr. Mwanza said although the last 4 years have witnessed hardwork from President Lungu’s administration in delivering development, the nation has continued to see divisions with some people harbouring pain and hatred against each other.
“What is happening is very unhealthy for a Christian and peace-loving nation. What is more sad is that the clergy who are supposed to be messengers of forgiveness and reconciliation are in the forefront perpetrating divisions among political sides. The President must thus take the responsibility upon his shoulder to do the tasks Bishops and other members of the clergy should have been doing in reconciling the Nation,” he said.
Mr. Mwanza has chastised Zambians in the Diaspora to stop talking ill about their country and Government but offer themselves to help in the healing process than create further divisions.
“The ‘Facebook and Hashtag Revolution’ by our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora, in which they spend countless hours and efforts insulting or disrespecting leaders in Government is not helping to build the country we all love. These energies can better be spent in helping the nation to prepare for 2021 elections and manage the post-election period,” he said.
He said Zambians can only do this noble act when they put political differences, hurt and pains aside and begin working together to firstly, conduct peaceful elections in 2021 and secondly, becoming a resource for developing Zambia.
“In this vein, we kindly implore His Excellency the President to utilise the forthcoming Day of National Prayer in October, 2020 to extend forgiveness by extending the prerogative of mercy in pardoning persons like former Chilanga Member of Parliament Keith Mukata and self-exiled activist Gregory Chifire, both of whom were convicted by the Courts for different offenses. These men and other prisoners whom President Lungu has used his Christian heart to continue pardoning deserve a second chance to contribute to this country.”
Mr Mwanza has since called on Zambians from all walks in life to take the first steps by reaching out to those whom they could have offended to make peace and seek forgiveness but also allow the spirit of reconciliation to lead our lives and the life of the Nation.
Keith committed the ultimate crime which the president cannot just willy nily forgive. Remember the deseased had relatives who are still alive and are still grieving. It will send a very wrong signal to our society that we do not value life. Anyone can just take someones life just because if their position in Society and expect that they will be forgiven. Please do not lump everyone in the diaspora as anti Government of the day. There is still a very large number in the diaspora that is very supportive of the development efforts of our great nation. So stop this umbrella brandishing of everyone in the diaspora as anti gornment.
Ba LT and your rotten journalism. A man is in your headline but your entire story has no background on what took him to prison????
You describe him only in one line:incarcerated Chilanga lawmaker, Keith Mukata
One way to unite Zambians is to disband YALI and like minded organisations …
Keith Mukata isn’t yet due for parole so that call is premature and Edgar should just ignore it. Keith Mukata must consider to pay a token to the family of the deceased in compensation for the lost life and I propose a small amount of K30,000 just to show that he’s remorseful of what he did. Then we can talk about pardon
No ways! Keith Mukata is a very arrogant person with no respect for other people’s feelings. Let him rot to death in jail. One who lives by the bullet should die by the bullet
General Kanene committed a very serious crime that carries a heavy penalty. His victim and her family are still alive to this day.
Justice should be carried out regardless of one`s position in society. But in Zambia this is not the case. I will not be surprised if Keith is released from prison tomorrow.
WTF! Seriously how the F*ck is wrong with this Isaac Yali Mwanza? Keith Mukata hasn’t even served 5 years.
NIALI, is an organisation of misguided PF misfits, vagabonds, and criminals. Mukata is a lawyer and fully understands the consequences of his heinous crime of murdering his own servant in cold blood. Mukata doesn’t deserve any parole but should be hanged instead! We don’t want such arrogant criminals in our society.
The new Govt in 2021 should carefully look into the current laws on criminal organisations like NIALI which survive on criminality. Mother fckers!
THESE ARE STUPID AND RUBBISH NGOS.THESE ARE FULL OF NUISANCE.
Keith Mukata didn’t wake up that day with the intention of shooting that guard, it was a mistake and he should have been charged with manslaughter or second degree murder as they call it in the US. The family of the deceased must be compensated and Keith should be considered for pardon especially as he had switch to PF by refusing to leave parliament with his fellow UPND members.
Disband cadres and admonish the corrupt then your will see even us on the fence supporting government.
Imwe ma cadres u dull. The President can pardon any convicted person and for any offense a day after being sentenced. Ifya parole bufi. #Release Keith
Rubbish. Keith Mukata has refused to apologise to the humble family of the watchman he murdered. Mukata is in the right place now. His health is not failing. Even the Singogo pardon was immoral as he was abusing a position of great trust as commander of the Zambia Air Force. The Moses Muteteka pardon was different as he had suffered a stroke.
So the murdered man was just a poor security guard who’s life don’t matter according to Yali a PF attack dog. How many prisoners are on death row or on life sentence? What’s so special about Kieth the murderer?
Actually most of these noise makers here against Keith have done nothing to assist his family nor family of the deceased he shot. Last I remember it was YALI that contributed K10,000 to the deceased family shortly after burial. So releasing Keith is ok with me. A mistake was made but Keutj must ve a life outside prison
I think YALI did its part to comfort the deceased family by contributing K10,000 shortly after his death. What have most of us done to help. Allow Keith to leave prison on pardon
Keith Mukata is a Zambian like other poor Zambians who are incarcerated for minor offences. What reconciliation is Mukata’s release going to bring to Zambia?
Please ask Yali leadership to use their common sense before they open their mouths so that they do not show their ignorance to the people.
YALI normally has an ear to Lungu’s thinking. It’s probable YALI has been hired to prepare ground for the presidential pardon. If it doesn’t come this year, it may be a post-re-election project for Lungu. Lawful it may be but immoral it is.
I think its timely to pardon Mukata. We all make mistakes but he deserves a second chance.
People like Andrew are the reason things like Genocide happen. The man has no soul. The highest bidder gets him to jump
There are no sacred cows. We know that this is an exceptional case in that here we have a very educated young man who has a lot to contribute to society. On the other hand we also have a family who lost a loved one and who will never see them again. We need to strike a balance here. I will be reviewing this matter and discussing it with the president in due course.
I support the call for pardons and also reconcilation. Those who have not committed sin must throw the first stone on anyone. Let’s all live in peace as a nation
I thought pf cadres always say that social media is a non factor and only a few zambians are on social media and dont vote, so why worry about the diaspora on social media? 2021 will surely prove if indeed social media will have or not have a bearing on the election results especially that majority youths of voting age are a social media generation.
The President is a very good man. I think he cares for both Keith and the family of the dead man. In my view, that family has already forgiven Keith Mukata and moved on. If Keith is allowed back in society z he may even become a father to that family and an ambassador against gun culture, especially among politicians
That is why I say, some times KAIZER ZULU can be level headed, but he is only being level headed because Keith had switched camp.
@Aristotle the hastag revolution is useless and just wasted efforts by the Diaspora in making noise. Very unproductive and with little influence on 2021 winning. Why would grown up spend so much time insulting leaders in govt? We can spend that time to build this country
@kalombo you speak sense
@patriotic I beg to differ. I am always objective in my views without fear or favour. It is in your mind that I will always be biased just because I support pf.
To everyone maybe we should carry out a poll to see what everyone thinks
@kalombo you speak sense
@patriotic I beg to differ. I am always objective in my views without fear or favour. It is in your mind that I will always be biased just because I support pf.
To everyone maybe we should carry out a poll to see what everyone thinks kaizar
Very dull
In order for me to gauge the mood and feeling:
CAN ALL THOSE WHO THINK WE SHOULD PARDON KEITH DOWNVOTE THIS COMMENT
ALL THIS WHO THINK WE SHOULD NOT PARDON HIM PLEASE UPVOTE THIS COMMENT.
Kakaiza zezulu, you have no moral basis to talk about morality and or justice. You head hangs with crimes and misdemeanors and we shall sure come for you. Umulandu taubola.
KZ,ULINA BOASTING MANINGI IWE CHIKWALALA KALUNKULUNKU WA PINK
KZ,ALINA BOASTING MANINGI UYU CHIKWALALA KALUNKULUNKU WA PINK. HE THINKS HE IS EVERYTHING KOMA PALIMBE VAMENE BALINAVO.GREAT MEN TALK WITH RESPECT AND DESENSE .U RANT ALOT LIKE SOMEONE WHOSE HEADLESS OR NO BRAINS.
@kalombo you should always remember that your timetable, is not nature’s timetable.
so lets wait for 2021, then prove this hypothesis.
#Naidoooo
Let love reign in Zambia. We need healing indeed. Trust the President is listening to this
President Lungu is a calm man. He listen to each and every advice, no wonder I think he deserves a second term. Keith made a mistake, we all do. He took away a precious life but deserves forgiveness. Let me come back to society. He isn’t the same as many of these dangerous criminals. He needs to come help kids of that man he killed and become a good person. On calls for ECL to lead reconciliation, I don’t think this would happen because UPND want to see this country on fire next year. So sitting down isn’t a good idea for them. But Zambia is best in the hands of those who pursue love, peace and reconciliation
Ba Overseas are nothing but noise makers indeed. The real voters are experiencing Development. Come back to Zambia and see for yourselves
Zambians are a forgiving people. I don’t see why we have issues forgiving Keith Mukata here.
Who to listen? ECL? Gimme a break!
Keith Mukata was found guilty of capital offense(murder) and sentenced to death.
The most he can receive is a commutation of his death sentence to life in imprisonment.
The PF funded YALI think the Zambian people are dull like the average PF cadre.
President has capacity to conditionally or unconditionally pardon Keith Mukata. Commiting a capital offense or mere assault doesn’t stop the President from pardoning anyone. Ba UPND ka dull
The Constitution allows anyone to write the President to grant a pardon to people like Mukata. So why don’t u go ahead and ask that he be pardoned. I think Keith deserves a second chance really. He is a productive person than most of these characters who run away from Zambia and are speaking from other people’s countries
Namoonde, umuna.
Thank you for your good heart Mwanza. We must not only speak for those who give us benefits. Mukata is a good person and full of energy
Thank you for your good heart Mwanza. We must not only speak for those who give us benefits. Mukata is a good person and full of energy indeed
Very sober calling indeed. We all have fallen short of the glory of God and deserve leniency and a second chance. This is where UPND cadres have no heart. They would want Mukata to rot in jail because he differed with them when he was MP. No love at all.
Very sober calling indeed. We all have fallen short of the glory of God and deserve leniency and a second chance. This is where UPND cadres have no heart. They would want Mukata to rot in jail because he differed with them when he was MP. No love at all..
Let Keith have his date with the hangman. Vaupuba. There is nothing special about him.
Unbelievable! Who funds these bntt licking cadres? I bet the tax I pay here goes to fund this useless NGO and its useless managers like this dude.
Negro please! Just shut the freak up and sit down!
Pardoning a murderer after serving less than 5 years… what drugs are you on? There are so many deserving citizens languishing in jail for petty crimes like stealing a chicken (because they were hungry); insulting some president or even waiting for their case to go to trial. if you really cared, these are the people you should be calling your corrupt president to pardon so they can go home to their loved ones. And if you really cared about the victim and their family, the only people who can forgive and pardon their loved one’s killer is the family themselves, not some president who is…
Zambians, let us pardon Hon Kieth Mukata.
He stands to serve this Country well. I spent time in his office at MCTI and his words were always action oriented with eager to move Industry.
All other prisoners might as well be pardoned then. I don’t see why his case must be treated as a special case when all Zambian citizens are equal before the law. Let him serve his sentence and learn from his mistakes, he will know better next time. Remember that the deceased’s family deserve the respect and justice due to them as well.
The man is a killer
Ba LT and your rotten journalism. A man is in your headline but your entire story has no background on what took him to prison????
You describe him only in one line:incarcerated Chilanga lawmaker, Keith Mukata
I have failed to fathom what entered the mind of my former student, Keith Mukata, to do what he did. I do not know whether it is the love for money, bu lawyer or women that confused his mind. I have been looking for an opportunity to go and visit him at Mukobeko.
If the law is supreme and must be obeyed by each person equally then there is no need to split hairs claiming exceptions! Each of the incarcerated prison tenants will admit that a mistake of some sort was made and they now regret it! There is no good excuse advanced above to warrant early release of Keith Mukata other than pity and bias! He committed a heinous act and no matter his acumen or youth he flouted the law! As each person is created with a “talent” this equalizes the uniqueness that each person contributes to society. Maybe we just call for pardon and release of all the prisoners for they “succumbed to the devils instructions!”
Keith is a killer. He killed our man. Release him, then I’ll have to learn how to put a contract on his head.
Fumanchu @ 54, yours is sound reasoning. I hv nothing more to add except to say that YALI’s and Edgar Lungu’s bias lies in the name- recognition of the convicts such as Lt-Gen Christopher Singogo, Austin Liato, Moses Muteteka and now Keith Mukata. Whn will YALI champion the pardoning of no-name convicts whose jailing didn’t lead to newspaper lead stories? Whn I see sound reasoning, I feel proud, I feel good despite the PF-created inflation, job losses, electoral violence and all manner of evil u can think of, I temporarily forget about them.
What if what Mukate did was done to your family Yali, what could you do?
You do not pardon murderers, sex offenders like Kanene, plunderers- we pardon pet thieves- those who were driven into prison by poor governance circumstances.