HH points to Kampyongo as having been behind the gassing

The political atmosphere in Zambia has reached a fever pitch following sensational remarks from the highest levels of government and sharp counter-accusations from the opposition. Speaking during a high-profile campaign rally, President Hakainde Hichilema pointed directly at former Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo and other key figures from the previous Patriotic Front (PF) administration as the masterminds behind the chilling gassing incidents that terrorized Zambian communities between 2019 and 2020. The President asserted that the state is determined to bring closure to the tragic chapter that claimed dozens of lives and left the nation gripped by fear. These remarks have immediately reignited intense national debate over the unresolved mysteries of the gassing era, which saw unprecedented levels of mob justice, civil unrest, and public trauma. While the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) maintains that the fresh scrutiny is part of a broader push for accountability and justice, critics and opposition leaders have dismissed the timing of the pronouncements as political grandstanding. Analysts note that weaponizing historical national traumas during an election season risks deepening political fractures rather than fostering genuine reconciliation. Simultaneously, the electoral landscape was rattled by alarming security claims from opposition figures. National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) presidential candidate Brian Mundubile publicly declared that his life is under severe threat, alleging that armed mercenaries from neighboring East African nations have been hired and deployed around his campaign offices. Mundubile argued that these aggressive security pressures are designed to intimidate the opposition and hobble their countrywide mobilization efforts as polling day draws closer. In swift rebuttals, Stephen Kampyongo fired back at the Head of State, characterizing the accusations as desperate political rhetori