Court orders PF to cough out K13.5 million to music producer, KMP, for 2021 campaign songs

Patriotic Front (PF) has been ordered to pay Kalandanya Music Promotions (KMP), K13.5 million it owes the music label for music services rendered to the party during the 2021 general election campaigns.

Bwalya Kalandanya trading as KMP is known for having produced dancable campaign songs for the PF, which included the famous Solly-Alebwelelapo.

Kalandanya had submitted that he entered into a contract with the party through its National chairman to produce, develop and promote campaign songs for the PF.

However, the PF denied owing Kalandanya such a huge amount of money and argued that he produced the songs at his one discretion and not part of a contractual agreement.

Judge Charles Zulu adjudicated in favour of the plaintiff and stated that his claims were substantiated by the fact that the contract was drafted on the party letterhead and executed at its Secretariate.

Justice Zulu opined that the contract was entered into by the party’s top ranked official, the National Chairman, and that, therefore, the party could not be unaware of the contract.

“Thirdly, the PF media team in the course of the campaigns and the subsistence of the contract made specific requests for perfomance of certain services by the plaintiff,” he said.

“The contract herein cannot be varied by somewhat unsubstantiated claims that the plaintiff was performing the contract gratuitously or purely for free and unreserved love for the party, when the terms of the contract are writ large,” Justice Zulu further explained.

He, therefore, ruled that PF pays Kalandanya K13.5 million for the said services rendered to the party.

Justice Zulu said the debt attracted interest at the Bank of Zambia average short term deposit rate from the date the case was commenced in January, 2022, to date of judgement and thereafter at the lending rate per annum until final payment.

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