Edgar Lungu, the former president of Zambia, is no longer permitted to jog in public because of what the police refer to as his “political activism” during his weekly exercises.
The nation’s police warned in a statement that was made public over the weekend that failing to notify them of “public meetings or demonstrations amounts to a violation of the law.
A former head of state’s procession “should be conducted with his security detail and free of political activism,” the Zambian police noted.
They added that his Saturday runs with regular citizens and Patriotic Front (PF) party followers have been drawing a lot of attention.
For upcoming jogging activities, Lungu has been instructed to request police authorisation.
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The police order was issued amid rumours that he may run for president in 2026.
However, Makebu Zulu, the former president’s attorney, said he would keep jogging without calling the police.
If the former president was prevented from exercising on Saturdays, Zulu threatened to sue the government.
Since the beginning of time, Lungu has been jogging, and Zulu claimed that he has never done so with the intention of breaking the law.
This newest restriction on former president Lungu’s actions—he was in office from 2015 to 2021—comes after several others.
Additionally, it has been claimed that the former president’s request for authorization from the cabinet office to travel for a medical appointment was denied.
