By Elias Munshya This article appeared in the Zambia Daily Nation Newspapers. It is reproduced below. It is another batch of by-elections and another kolopa.com of the United Party for National Development (UPND) by the Patriotic Front (PF). The PF has its own tactical and strategic blunders. They are, however, the ruling party and as such, they are getting some
Read moreE. Munshya, LLM, M.Div. Regions are vital ingredients of our democracy. Without regional power and peculiarities, Zambian democracy would have long perished. The best way for Zambia is a heterogeneous political polity and a diverse confluence of various regional patterns and preferences. Instead of castigating regionalism, we must now, more than ever, embrace it and leverage it for national development.
Read moreE. Munshya, LLM, M.Div. From my upbringing as a child, to the present, I remain indebted to the nurturing I received as a member of the Pentecostal movement. I am forever grateful to my aunt’s church, which used to meet in a rented classroom at Chabanyama Primary School in Chingola. I learned to have faith in God. Pentecostalism’s greatest strength
Read moreElias Munshya, LLM, M.Div. President Edgar Chagwa Lungu has indicated that he will support dual nationality for Zambians. While we do not yet know the shape this initiative will take, it is important for us to support it. The last time a government tried to reform this area of law, it was severely defeated. Dr. Rupiah Banda of the Movement
Read moreE. Munshya, LLM, M.Div. Chama Fumba’s “A Lungu Anabwera” is most likely defamatory, disparaging, insulting and slanderous. No matter how we spin it, stating that President Edgar Chagwa Lungu is a “clueless drunkard from Chawama who came with suitcases full of ‘Kachasu’” is, quite probably, defamatory. The problem is not really whether Chama has defamed, but rather what we should
Read moreE. Munshya, LLM, M.Div. There have been reports that single mothers are having a hard time obtaining National Registration Cards (NRCs) for their children due to the demands by some registration officers for details of the father of those children before they are issued NRCs. The Non-Governmental Organisation Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has rightly observed that such demands by some registration
Read moreE. Munshya, LLM, M.Div. Kuli ba Kaunda, Intanshi mutende! Thank you for the speech you gave on Africa Freedom Day, 25 May 2015. On that day, the president of our republic, Edgar Chagwa Lungu decided, for some reason to give you an honour and recognition of “Founding Father of Zambia”. I am still not too clear about what that means exactly.
Read moreE. Munshya, LLM, M.Div. Hakainde Hichilema can be quite upsetting sometimes. Just when President Lungu is trying to settle in his presidency, there appears Hakainde Hichilema making it difficult for President Edgar Lungu to shine. Just a few days after an increase in the price of paraffin, petrol and diesel, HH took it upon himself to “rub it in” by going
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. The honorable Dr. Joseph Kasonde was born in 1938, his youngest counterpart in the legislature, Hon. Dawson Kafwaya, was only born in 1984. Between these two years is a spectrum of the ages of the current members of the Zambian parliament. Perhaps the most dominant myth to grace our politics in Zambia, is this persistent
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. We all must congratulate the Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Zambia for its one-millionth baptism. Since its establishment in Zambia, the church baptized its one-millionth member in April 2015. While this feat has not been easy, it has demonstrated the resiliency and faithfulness of one of Zambia’s most widespread churches. The celebrations themselves were politically marred
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. Truth is the greatest antidote to error. The pain of truth is far more desirable than the comfort of lies and deception. It is better to build a continent or nations on a foundation of truth than try to build a people on false assumptions. For many years, Africans have been trying to live under
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. The wisdom of the ages is strikingly clear. According to Pope Celestine I, “we are deservedly to blame if we encourage error by silence.” The manifestation of tyranny is always subtle. Oppression, no matter how heinous, usually does have trifling beginnings. Those who end up being oppressors frequently never plan to. They become tyrants by
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. President Lungu in exercise of his power has appointed a Mr. Likando Kalaluka as Attorney General of the Republic of Zambia subject to parliamentary ratification. This last week, a parliamentary committee met to scrutinize the appointment. It has been common practice that the committee would invite submissions from the Law Association of Zambia (LAW). The
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. When President Sata established the Chikopa Tribunal to probe the conduct of Judge Mutuna and Judge Kajimanga, I vehemently objected to that action. My reasons for objecting were provided in the article published by the Daily Nation Newspaper and the http://www.eliasmunshya.org blog. I supported Justice Fulgence Chisanga when she stayed President Sata’s decision. This case,
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. The fact that events are identical does not necessarily mean that they are the same. This sounds rhetorical, doesn’t it? You cannot tell how the public will react to one thing by looking at the way they reacted when similar events happened. Similarly, you cannot predict the way the courts will rule simply because of
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. The case is very familiar to many of us. But for the sake of clarity, we might need to restate its facts. In 2013, Rupiah Bwezani Banda was in court appearing for various charges under the Anti-Corruption Act. We need not mention that Banda is a former president of the republic who nevertheless had his
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. As a constitutional democracy, our republic must be led and controlled by both the written constitution and the unwritten spirit of constitutionalism. It would be ridiculous for officers of the state to go on a rampage abusing their discretion simply because the text of the constitution so says. It is dangerous to read or apply
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. For someone who took almost three weeks to announce the cabinet, it is rather surprising that this cabinet has very few surprises. Unprecedented in the history of our nation, Edgar Lungu becomes the first president to take 19 days to announce a full cabinet. What is equally unusual with Lungu is the fact that by
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB, M.Div. To help fight the scourge of tribalism in Zambia, some of our people are buying into several slogans in the hope that these slogans will help build some national cohesion. There is one particular slogan that I find patently problematic. This slogan states, “My tribe is Zambia”. The goal of using this slogan is to try
Read moreIf you have to copy this table, please make an appropriate acknowledgement of the source. Just cite www.eliasmunshya.org and we will be happy. We do not guarantee the accuracy of these numbers. Final and official numbers will come from the Electoral Commission of Zambia. Some numbers may not be final for constituencies. Use with caution. We are not responsible for your BP, heart
Read morePF UPND Chisamba Central 2,596 6,597 Chitambo Central 2,534 384 Kapiri Mposhi Central 7,869 8,160 Katuba Central 2,399 6,537 Keembe Central 2,586 9,043 Mkushi North Central 4,153 2,577 Mkushi South Central 2,182 1,734 Muchinga Central 1,384 456 Mumbwa Central 1,392 7,597 Mwembeshi Central 814 7,975 Serenje Central 3,940 839 Bwacha Central 8,182 2,682 Nangoma Central 542 7,783 Kabwe Central Central
Read morewww.eliasmunshya.org PF UPND Chisamba Central – – Chitambo Central 2,534 384 Kapiri Mposhi Central – – Katuba Central 2,099 5,809 Keembe Central – – Mkushi North Central 4,153 2,577 Mkushi South Central 680 980 Muchinga Central 1,384 456 Mumbwa Central – – Mwembeshi Central – – Serenje Central 3,940 839 Bwacha Central 8,182 2,682 Nangoma Central 542 7,783 Kabwe Central
Read more(copyright – eliasmunshya.org, 2015) PF UPND Chisamba Central 0 0 Chitambo Central 0 0 Kapiri Mposhi Central 0 0 Katuba Central 0 0 Keembe Central 0 0 Mkushi North Central 0 0 Mkushi South Central 0 0 Muchinga Central 0 0 Mumbwa Central 0 0 Mwembeshi Central 0 0 Serenje Central 0 0 Bwacha Central 0 0 Nangoma Central 0
Read moreNote: These are full constituency results from the few constituencies collated so far. We are using the following sources: The Post Newspaper, Flava FM and Radio Mano. We are only using those provisional results at constituency level and we will be updating as we go. It is too early but a pattern is showing already. Note that we do not
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. The time is finally here. In a few days, Zambia goes to the polls. What a milestone. Mature nations and great democracies use the ballot as the only legitimate way to change or not-change a government. For this we must commend ourselves and thank God Almighty for having given us the grace and the opportunity to
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. The election is drawing very near. Politicians are busy pounding on doors and flying their helicopters. Lungu has been soaring from Chinsali to Mpulungu, and from there to Katete. Hichilema has also been taking provinces by storm. As the campaign intensifies, so has the alignment and realignment of endorsements. What is actually fascinating is how
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. One of Zambia’s newspapers published what it claimed were medical records of Hon Edgar Lungu, the ruling party’s presidential candidate. According to that newspaper, Lungu suffers from several ailments among which are an infection to his kidney and lungs. Quoting a report purportedly signed by a Dr. Gupta, the newspaper stated that Lungu needed to
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. It is November 30 2014. Delegates have gathered at Mulungushi Rock of Authority in Kabwe. The Patriotic Front is supposed to be having its Extra-ordinary conference. The acting president of the Patriotic Front, Guy Scott, called the conference, but for some reasons best known to himself he has decided not to attend the conference. He
Read moreThe WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 82,000 times in 2014. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 4 days for that many people to see it. Click here to see
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. There is no legal framework upon which cabinet could fire Guy Lindsay Scott as Acting President of the Republic of Zambia. Guy Scott can only be fired if a question about his mental capacity or physical capability has arisen. However, as a people, we are perfectly in order to request that Scott recuses himself from
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. The campaign time has come in earnest. It seems all the parties now have a general idea of who is going to be their presidential candidate. It is game on. Without being sub judice, it is clear that after the discharge of the injunction against Rupiah Banda, the ECZ and several other interested parties almost
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. News that the government of Acting President Guy Scott has either fired or transferred some senior government workers makes sad reading. We should all be concerned when a transitory government purports to perform functions that are outside its mandate. According to Article 38 (3) of the constitution of Zambia, a Vice-President who is performing functions
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. The news came as a shock to me. Like most deaths, the passing of Dr. Myles Munroe was completely unexpected. He was flying to a meeting he was hosting in The Bahamas when his private plane hit a crane and disintegrated. All the nine passengers including Dr. Munroe’s wife Ruth died on the spot on
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. If RB wants to stand, it would be great for the likes of Mulusa and RB to form the Movement for Bwezani and Mulusa (MBM) so that they can field RB. They should leave the MMD so that the party functions under the leadership of its elected president. What RB is doing to MMD, is not
Read moreKuli ba Mama Kaseba: Intanshi mutende! Before I proceed any further, let me state out-rightly what this letter is not about. As a person who strongly believes in women’s rights, I must commend your decision to stand as presidential candidate within days of burying your spouse. Indeed, every woman must aspire to provide leadership to this great country. Your
Read moreThis is a statement issued by the MMD Secretariat and Media Team today, November 16 2014 The Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) has unanimously adopted MMD President Dr Nevers Sekwila Mumba as its candidate for the upcoming presidential by-election. After a lengthy meeting that started in the late afternoon on Sunday the 16th of November 2014 and ended almost at
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. The passing of President Sata has been devastating to the nation. But while the nation mourns, we should never forget that the President was a father, a spouse, a grandfather, an uncle and a close relative to some citizens among us. The loss that these relatives have suffered is surely personal, deep and disheartening. Relatives
Read moreRE; PURPORTED SUSPENSION IS ILLEGAL AND HIGHLY PROVOCATIVE UNDER THE PARTY CONSTITUTION AND UNDER THE CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES OF NATIONAL MOURNING I have learnt with deep regret the illegal and provocative action taken by Dr. Guy Scott purporting to dismiss me as Secretary General of the Party. This action is illegal and has no foundation or support of the PF party
Read moreThere’s a lot more to Zambia’s Guy Lindsay Scott
Read moreA gentleman by the name of Micheck Shulumanda has asked a few questions over the propriety of Guy Scott acting as president. He is challenging the use of Article 38 instead of Article 39 when deciding who should act as president. I wish to provide some answers. If the President appointed Minister of Defense and Justice, and PF Secretary General
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. Michael Chilufya did not have one life. He had many lives. His relatively long life, by Zambian standards, where life expectancy is around 45, mean that there is a huge span from which one could chose his story. Like many of his contemporaries, very little is known of his childhood. Born in 1937, there is
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. The President of the Republic of Zambia, Michael Chilufya Sata has died. He died in a London hospital on 28 October 2014. Sata died the same week that the nation was celebrating 50 years of independence from Great Britain. The question grappling the nation right now is whether the nation’s Vice-President Guy Lindsay Scott satisfies
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. A discussion must be had about the role that Zambian music has played in the making of our nation for the past fifty years. There is great wisdom in the saying that music is food for the soul. However, with regard to nations, music is also food for national identity and national myth making. While there
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. As Zambia celebrates her fifty years as an independent nation, there is a great temptation to only look at the good events that have shaped the nation and completely ignore the sad stories. Indeed, there is a lot we can talk about the good stuff that have evolved over our times in the young nation.
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. After 50 years of independence there is need for Zambians to begin reimagining the myth of their nation. The story of our nation needs to be told in a fresh and new light. Each time a nation or indeed an individual celebrates an anniversary; there is a great temptation and pressure to focus only on the
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB, M.Div. Dr. Rupiah Banda has all the reasons in the whole world to be angry and to be outraged at the way the party that defeated him in the 2011 polls is handling national affairs. The economy is in crisis. National security is now just a wiretap away. Our country has lost its international profile. Banda’s successor
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. This republic we now call Zambia is a product of several currents. As we celebrate 50 years of its existence we must look at all the stories that could help us navigate through these currents so that we can learn from history and not repeat mistakes from that history. Fifty years after our independence, there
Read moreYou’ve all read the wiretap story from The Post about Chikwanda having a conversation with The Post’s employee. I also wiretapped Chikwanda. This time he was talking to Acting President Edgar Lungu.
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. Many have eloquently told the powerful story of the founding of the United National Independence Party (UNIP). I should not retell that story here. My concern now is to acknowledge that UNIP remains the most significant political movement in the history of Zambia. If we are to be faithful to the Zambian golden jubilee story, we
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. In the 50 years of our independence, what really sets us apart as a people is the ability to reflect on issues after we have done our celebrations. Perhaps, after we have downed bottles of Kachasu and emptied tins of champagne, we really do come round to look at issues more critically. After we recover from
Read moreBy E. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. When Wynter Kabimba got implicated in the oil scandal in 2012, we called upon President Sata to suspend him so that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) could freely investigate the matter. Sata said no! In 2013, when Wynter stated that the PF would rule for over 100 years, we expressed our concerns at the dictatorial
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. Zambia has seen no court case full of stuff only fit for reality TV than the case of Lewanika & Others v Chiluba (1998). Mention it. And you would most probably find it there. A president who seemed to have had no idea about the identity of his father. A picture that disappeared at night
Read moreZambia at 50: Essays in honour of Zambia’s golden jubilee Between now and October 24 2014, Munshya wa Munshya column will be running special golden jubilee essays. The first one in these series is “’Top Soil’: Chinsali and the making of the Zambian nation” E. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. What makes Chinsali great is not necessarily because it is home
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. There is no evidence to suggest that Nevers Mumba had, two weeks ago, approved of the action by MMD party cadres to sing lyrics mocking the disability of Hon. Nickson Chilangwa. In this article, I make no such allegation against Mumba. However, that unfortunate event provides us with an opportunity to address such issues. Chilangwa
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div The Zambian state has a legitimate interest in enforcing the law. The state is well within its powers to try and apply immigration laws. Those who are in our country illegally should be made to account for their abuse of the law. I do support the Zambian state in its desire to bring some sanity
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons). M.Div. Some Members of Parliament (MPs) are demanding for a pay increase. And our people are quite justified in their outrage. This is even sincerer since there is an assumption among our people that MPs are well compensated already. It is controversial to justify a salary hike for MPs at this time when there is apparently
Read moreMunshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. The City of Lusaka, as messy as it is, is still very strategic to the economic interests of our country. We must take great care of the hands that feed us. As a nation, we must arrange and repackage this city in ways that would ensure development for its people and generally for Zambia. The government
Read moreE. Munshya, M.Div., LLB (Hons) And then we all saw the pictures. They came 24 days after President Sata’s unannounced departure to Tel Aviv, Israel for a “working visit.” In the pictures taken with a Nikon D90 by Thomas Nsama, on July 14, between 9:02 and 9:34, President Sata could be seen addressing a cabinet meeting. Most ministers were present
Read moreBy Elias Munshya, M.Div., LLM (Candidate) Human Rights activist Brebner Changala sought leave of the High Court of Zambia to commence judicial review proceedings into the Zambian cabinet’s failure to enquire into President Sata’s apparent ill-health. High Court Judge Isaac Chali issued his ruling today, July 11 2014. He has denied Changala leave to proceed. Here is a of the judgment: Changala
Read moreBy E. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. At the age of 50, newly appointed Supreme Court Justice Mumba Malila is one of the youngest Zambians to have ascended to the apex of our courts. We should heartily congratulate him for this feat. Called to the Zambian bar in 1989, Malila’s twenty-plus years of experience as a lawyer place him in a
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. In the interest of state unity and national sanity, Vice-President Guy Lindsay Scott should either be fired or severely reprimanded so that he stops making statements that can stoke national panic. There is the sense in which Scott is trying to do anything possible to fortify Wynter Kabimba as the heir apparent to the Patriotic
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div Never in the short history of our republic have we had a vice-president who is as marginalised as Guy Lindsay Scott. Effectively, this Patriotic Front government has managed to reduce the vice-president of our republic to a non-entity. As if it is not enough that Scott has no clue of much of the stuff happening
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. Personal sabotage should know its constraints. But just when you think that stuff cannot get any worse, that is when it usually does. It is one thing to make a small mistake, or perhaps, to misspeak once in a while. We are all human after all. But when you are part of a cabinet handling
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. The nights and days are very cold this month of June. But in spite of this, the leaders of this country did not spare our people in Mindolo another brunt exercise of power. The people of Mindolo woke up, one night, to a colossal noise of bulldozers and graders tearing through the walls of what
Read moreBy E. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. Trinity Western University is a Christian evangelical school located in the province of British Columbia (Canada). Students at TWU are asked to sign a community covenant agreement that, among other things, asks students to refrain from “sexual immorality.” Sexual immorality is defined as “sex outside of marriage”. This includes “homosexual sex”. TWU defines marriage
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. There is no doubting that the 30th May “midnight” court ruling in Malawi has significant implications for Zambia. In 2016, Zambia is likely to face a somewhat contentious election. That being the case, we have a lot to learn from the way Malawi high court handled the electoral petition presided by Mr. Justice Kenyatta Nyirenda.
Read moreBy E. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. The question is not really about whether President Sata is sick or not. The question is about how the nation and its political players should conduct themselves in moments of alleged presidential illness. When a president falls ill, or rather when allegations of presidential illness become apparent, we as a people have some choices.
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. In a culture driven by headlines, our people mostly never take the time to read the fine print. Ours is a society, which ignores the body of any information in preference for what the headlines are screaming. Just a few weeks ago, the headlines squealed and most of our people believed that Kenya had established
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. Several judges of the High Court of Zambia have been quite consistent and clear with regard to the evidence the prosecution needs to provide when proving the age of a minor in defilement cases. In following the 1973 legal precedent of the case of Phiri (Macheka) v. The People most judges have gone to hold
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. It is sad. It is bizarre. It is chillingly baffling that a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church now becomes the latest victim of a menacing phone call from the president of the our republic. According to reports, Bishop Lungu last month narrated in his homily in Chipata how the President phoned him and gave him
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. We have lost a legend. A legend among us has left. A true Zambian icon has passed away. A great man has gone ahead of us. He was 78. He has gone to rest in eternal peace. For these three days, we have mourned together as one nation and we will continue to do so.
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div Our republic can have no better politicians than the promise epitomised by young and educated leaders such as Hon. Lucky Mulusa. We are better and we will better as a nation if people of Mulusa’s calibre are encouraged to participate in politics. They bring a breath of fresh air to the political scene. When dinosaurs,
Read moreBy E. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. Agony is having someone serve as your vice-president and yet never give him the opportunity to act as president when you are not around. It is quite absurd that President Sata would have a vice-president distrusted to serve. When the PF government came into power in 2011, we welcomed the idea of an African
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. The calls are eloquently loud and menacingly clear. Some influential members of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) want Nevers Mumba out. Dora Siliya, Lucky Mulusa, Michael Kaingu and Brian Chituwo are among a cadre of senior leaders howling for Nevers Mumba’s blood. They want to have a new convention so that the MMD NEC
Read moreBy E. Munshya wa Munshya In 2008, as President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa was reflecting on his legacy, one issue he had to confront was whether he had any regrets in choosing Nevers Mumba for his Vice-President from 2003 to 2004. According to Malupenga (2010), President Mwanawasa hoped that in future Zambians will come to the same conclusion he had come
Read moreBy Elias Munshya wa Munshya Dr. Nevers Sekwila Mumba believes that political parties are not the centre of the political process, people are. As such, he sees nothing wrong with changing parties, starting new ones, disbanding others and going back to the parties that disowned him. Political parties for Nevers are tools that a person can use to aspire for
Read moreBy E. Munshya wa Munshya It is Frank Talk time on prime time television in the early 1990s. One evening, the whole nation is listening in as journalist Frank Mutubila introduces his guest on ZNBC TV. Pastor Nevers Mumba sits confidently in his chair. Next to him is his wife. They are appearing on a program that follows and features
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. In our democracy, there should be no reason why the police command should be wasting taxpayers’ bullets and teargas to chase Hakainde Hichilema (HH) out of the Eastern Province. Bullets and teargas should be for criminals and not ordinary citizens. Reports that Inspector-General (IG) Stella Libongani had sent a battalion of police and soldiers to
Read moreE. Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div. We are a nation of “tamanga.” We are the generation epitomising the notion of “ifintu ni bwangu”. In everything we do, “musanga musanga” has come to define who we are and where we stand. “Tamanga” can mean many things. On the street, it has come to mean a people who have to hustle for survival.
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Rev. Dr. Elias Munshya 