LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS TRIBUNAL DENIES KIBOMBWE’S BID TO TESTIFY VIRTUALLY
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS TRIBUNAL DENIES KIBOMBWE’S BID TO TESTIFY VIRTUALLY
Below is the reason for my absence from Zambia:
I filed my the petition on 27th August whose hearing period ends on 26th September. Obviously, I was hoping for the tribunal to start sitting earlier so that I would be available to testify in-person. However, it only got constituted and began sitting last Friday- a time when remaining in the country wasn’t attainable for me.
As you may know, I’m a final year PhD candidate at Peking University in Beijing, China and my re-registration deadline was 13th September. The process in China requires in-person facial scanning because almost all systems use facial recognition. The process also requires handing over the passport to immigration until one is cleared. Other programs I am attending are secondary.
At such short notice, it is impossible for me to retrieve my passport and take a 24-hour flight to Zambia.
Nonetheless, my testimony (affidavit of facts) is on the record with the court and will suffice as my statement.
Looking forward to a future that embraces technology, and still optimistic about getting a judgment based on facts-not technicalities.