By CHUSA SICHONE –

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) Katuba Constituency parliamentary by-election candidate Moses Chilando has charged that some “failed politicians” are trying to de-campaign him by going round alleging that he is a foreigner.
Mr Chilando, who is popularly known as Big Moze, said some of his opponents had run out of ideas to the extent of even accusing him of having vicious dogs which were terrorising people in the area.
Speaking in an interview in Lusaka, Mr Chilando said some of the opponents he did not name were trying to tarnish his name by peddling falsehoods that he was a foreigner from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“The campaigns are going on well but some of my competitors who are failed politicians are trying to tarnish my name by saying that I am from Congo and that I have dogs which are biting people.
“I would like to take this opportunity through your newspaper to say that am not from Congo and I don’t own dogs,” Mr Chilando said.
Mr Chilando said he was “very much Zambian” and that the PF would not have adopted him to stand in Katuba Constituency had he been a foreign national.
Mr Chilando said he was renowned as Big Moze because of the big things he had done and pledged to do in Katuba Constituency once he was elected as area Member of Parliament (MP).
Seven candidates are contesting the Katuba by-election scheduled to be held on February 25, 2014.
Besides Mr Chilando, other candidates are Cecil Holmes for MMD, United Party for National Development (UPND)’s Jonas Shakafuswa, United National Independence Party (UNIP) is fielding Friday Malawo while National Restoration Party (NAREP) is being represented by Joseph Mushalika.
Others are Patricia Mwashingwele of Alliance for a Better Zambia (ABZ) and National Revolution Party (NRP)’s Shakespeare Mwakamui.
The Katuba Constituency seat fell vacant after the death of former area MMD MP Patrick Chikusu, who was also Health Deputy Minister in the PF Government.