M’membe Challenges Constitutional Basis of Paramount Chief Petition for Chief Mukuni

Socialist Party leader Fred M’membe has publicly challenged the constitutional basis of a petition by Paramount Chiefs seeking a specific title for Chief Mukuni in Zambia. M’membe argued that the title being sought is a colonial invention, noting that the courts have already stripped the President of the power to grant such titles, while the overall status of Chief Mukuni's Paramount Chief title remains contentious.

The dispute highlights ongoing legal and traditional tensions surrounding chieftaincy titles in Zambia, specifically the intersection of colonial-era administrative structures, presidential authority, and the contemporary judicial system. M’membe’s intervention underscores the politically sensitive nature of traditional leadership recognitions and the historical legacy of traditional titles in the country.