PF Deputy SG Brenda Nyirenda Condemns Incarceration of MPs, Calls for National Reflection
PF Deputy SG Brenda Nyirenda Condemns Incarceration of MPs, Calls for National Reflection
Lusaka, 17 May 2025
Patriotic Front (PF) Deputy Secretary General and Member of Parliament for Lundazi, Hon. Brenda Nyirenda, has strongly condemned the incarceration of opposition Members of Parliament, describing the move as a wasteful and insensitive decision that undermines democracy and disregards national priorities.
Speaking this morning when Patriotic Front Members of Parliament held a press briefing, Hon. Nyirenda questioned the logic of arresting and jailing elected representatives with just 11 months left before the dissolution of Parliament ahead of the 2026 general elections.
“We are now spending colossal sums of money on by-elections when, in a few months, these seats would be up for contest again. What leader chooses to buy a Mercedes-Benz when there is no food at home? It’s about priorities and leadership with heart,” she stated.
Hon. Nyirenda also stated that the current administration of misusing state power to silence dissent while pretending to push an agenda of youth and women inclusion.
“How do you talk about inclusion when you’re jailing the very people young leaders and women you claim to be uplifting? It’s a contradiction that must be called out,” she said.
Citing the case of Hon. Maureen Mabonga, a young female MP and mother of a two-year-old child, Nyirenda described her incarceration as inhumane and unjust.
“As a woman, I feel the pain. Maureen should be nurturing her child. Where is the compassion? Where is the leadership?” she asked.
The PF Deputy SG further criticized the judiciary, accusing it of failing to advise the executive against politically motivated prosecutions in an election year. She called for wisdom and restraint, urging national leaders to focus on saving resources and uniting the country rather than deepening divisions.
“Even within the ruling party, there have been leaders who refused to support the incarceration of opposition MPs. They saw the bigger picture. Why can’t that wisdom prevail now?” she said.
Hon. Nyirenda ended her address by expressing hope that Zambians will soon come to fully appreciate the values and leadership the Patriotic Front stood for.
“Sometimes people must see the opposite of good leadership to understand what they lost. I believe many households today are quietly saying, ‘We are sorry we removed the Patriotic Front.’”
