Laura Miti: One Phone Call From Hichilema Could End Political Violence

Human rights activist Laura Miti has accused the Zambia Police Service of failing to act decisively against political violence, arguing that officers who are highly effective at blocking gatherings they disapprove of are choosing not to apply the same effectiveness to ruling party supporters accused of thuggery.

In a Facebook post published on Wednesday, 5 August 2026, Miti, Executive Director of the Alliance for Community Action, said the persistence of political violence in the run-up to the 13 August election reflects a lack of will rather than a lack of capability within the police service.

"I am convinced that a police service that is known to be excellent at preventing those they don't want to gather from gathering, can very easily prevent and address political thuggery and violence," she wrote. "My view is that the reason we still have the violence we are seeing is because the police do not stamp down on ruling party anarchy."

Miti argued that opposition supporters would have little incentive to engage in violence themselves if ruling party cadres faced consistent consequences for similar conduct, posing the question: "What opposition party cadre will run amok in an environment in which boma hooligans are scared to?"

She also dismissed public statements condemning violence as insufficient without enforcement behind them, taking aim specifically at official communications from State House.

"Police assurance that they can and must arrest, then fully prosecute, violent ruling party cadres does not come via Clayson Hamasaka, on orange headed paper," she wrote, referring to the President's Chief Communications Specialist. "Neither is it drawn from the handler of the Presidential Facebook page writing, 'we condemn blah blah.'"

Miti said only a direct order from President Hakainde Hichilema to the Inspector General of Police would end the violence immediately.

"I can swear that, if today President Hichilema picked up the phone and, in his baritone, said to the Police IG, if I hear of one more incident of violence, don't bother to come to work tomorrow, that would be it. Simple really," she wrote.

Miti's post comes amid a string of violent incidents reported during the campaign period, including a political-related death in Kaputa in June, the killing of a driver linked to an independent candidate's campaign in Mazabuka, an attack on NRPUP campaigners in Luampa, and an assault on musician General Kanene at an independent candidate's rally in Mwembeshi East.

Hichilema has issued repeated public statements condemning the violence, most recently on 4 August, saying "the law in Zambia is blind to party colours" and warning that no political party would shield perpetrators. Police say they have made arrests in several of the incidents, including ten suspects held over the Kaputa death.

MUVI has sought comment from the Zambia Police Service and State House on Miti's specific allegation of selective enforcement, and will update this report with any response.