CONSORTIUM ENDORSES BILL, JOINS LEGAL ACTION



Civil society group welcomes Public Gatherings Bill as replacement for colonial law, while moving to join court proceedings involving its chairperson

By Francis Maingaila ♥️ 

Lusaka, Zambia24 --- (1, May, 2026) — The Consortium of Civil Society Organisations on Good Governance and Constitutionalism has endorsed the Government’s decision to table the Public Gatherings Bill in Parliament and confirmed that it will join ongoing legal proceedings involving its chairperson, Isaac Mwanza.

Consortium Secretary and SACCORD Executive Director Arthur Muyunda said the group notes with “measured optimism” the tabling of the Bill by the United Party for National Development (UPND) administration, which seeks to replace the colonial-era Public Order Act.

He said the proposed law represents a long-overdue reform in the regulation of public gatherings, an area that has for years been governed by legislation widely criticised for limiting freedoms of assembly and expression. 

He stressed that the right to peaceful assembly remains central to democratic participation and must be protected through a clear, fair and modern legal framework.

Muyunda said the Consortium views the reform as consistent with long-standing calls from civil society and other stakeholders for the repeal of colonial-era laws that have continued to influence public order policing in the post-independence period. 

He noted that in practice, such laws have often been applied in ways that restrict civic space and limit political engagement.

He further observed that the timing of the Bill is particularly significant as the country moves toward a general election. He said safeguarding constitutional freedoms at such a moment is essential to ensuring fairness among all political actors.

While welcoming the development, the Consortium cautioned that legislative reform alone is not sufficient. It called for the establishment of a strong, inclusive implementation and monitoring framework to ensure that the law does not remain only on paper.

“The real test of reform lies in how it is applied,” Muyunda said. 

“Without proper oversight and accountability mechanisms, even the most progressive laws can lose their meaning in practice.”

In a separate development, the Consortium confirmed that it has taken note of contempt of court proceedings instituted against its chairperson, Isaac Mwanza, arising from his role as Returning Officer during the United Party for National Development General Assembly.

The organisation said it has resolved to apply before the High Court of Zambia to be joined to the proceedings as an interested party. It stated that the move is intended to protect the integrity of both its chairperson and the electoral process he supervised.

The Consortium noted that the General Assembly resulted in the election of President Hakainde Hichilema as party president, alongside seventy members of the National Management Committee. It added that while legal processes must be respected, they should not be allowed to undermine confidence in concluded electoral outcomes.

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