AS YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES IN ZAMBIA JOIN THEIR NORMAL COUNTERPARTS IN THE POLL,WILL PRESIDENT LUNGU RETAIN HIS SEAT?

Come Thursday, 11th August 2016 Zambians will go to the polls to elect new crops of leaders who will steer the affairs of their country with a population of 14.15 millions.

Of interesting scene of note is the presidential contest in which the incumbent President, Edgar Chagwa Lungu is battling to retain his seat for the third term under the Patriotic Front (PF) party.

In fact there lay ahead of President Lungu the biggest challenge as he need to face other eight opponents who are also in the race for the presidential seat of power, one of which is Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development (UPND) who may be a hard nut for  Lungu to crack. Both leaders competed in the 2015 presidential elections and Lungu won by a very narrow margin.

Other candidates who are also contesting alongside Lungu and Hichilema to occupy Lusaka the presidential seat of power are Tiyenji Chanda  Kaunda of the United National Independence Party, Nawakwi Zewelani Edith, Forum for Democracy and Development; Saviour Chishimba, United Progressive Party; Wynter Kabimba, Rainbow Party; Peter Sinkamba, Green Party; Andyford Banda, People's Alliance for Change, and Maxwell Mwamba of the Democratic Assembly.

While Lungu and his camps are busy employing every machinery of his government to ensure continuity in office beyond 2016, his opponents on the other hand, have gone to every nooks and crannies of the country preaching the gospel of policy changes to the people and electorates and they are promising them better services delivery at the grassroots.

Besides, Zambian citizens living with disabilities have also taken the ample opportunity offered them by the 2016 general elections to address their plights and call for reforms that are disability-friendly and inclusive. They have been carrying out seminars, press conferences and advocacy visits to various political campaign offices and candidates across the country including the Electoral Commission of Zambia toward ensuring equal participation and inclusion of people with disabilities and the urgent need for political aspirants to come up with policies and programmes implementation that are disability-inclusive in order to address their plights.

According to the Founder and Chief Executive Director of Zambia Deaf Youth and Women, Dr Frank Musukwa, "15% of Zambia population comprises of persons with disabilities with the youth as majority whose concern and plights have not been properly addressed in the past 24 years under the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare". Musukwa who is also the Interim President of the African Deaf Initiative (ADI), a Consortium of African deaf people working for equal opportunities with headquarter in Kitwe, Zambia, is strongly advocating for the creation of a separate Ministry for Disability Affairs and Directorate for Disability Affairs at State House or Cabinet Office for effective and efficient services delivery.
He then called on citizens with disabilities to turn out enmass during the elections and cast their votes as that is the only way to identify with the country and her leaders and shape the way.

It is re-stating the obvious to assert here that in most African Nations, African political leaders are rigid and reluctant to vacate offices. Power,they say,is sweet and once tasted they want to occupy offices for life. Corruption has thus assumed a serious dimension in the African political leadership unabated.

On the 7th of August 2016, we heard and read that the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) held a peace concert at Heroes Stadium Lusaka. Several artists made it to the event to share songs on peace and to undertake voter education on the general elections and referendums.
Good move in the right direction worth of commendation.

Now the question that remain unanswered is, "Will President Lungu retain his seat now that Hichilema his closed main challenger in the 2015 general elections challenging him again for the second time?"

Well, Zambians will decide at the polls and whoever wear the cap will have the herculean task of addressing the many challenges facing youth with disabilities in the country.