Sesheke District Commissioner Alex Namenda has dispelled rumours that applicants for the 2022 census are being charged a fee before being recruited.
Mr Namenda has described the recruitment and training of the 2022 census of population and housing Enumerators in Sesheke in the Western province as well.
He said the process is ongoing well unlike what is reported in some sections of social media.
Mr Namenda said that it is disappointing that a person can openly accuse a very transparent process of being corrupt.
Mr Namenda who is also chairperson of the Census Committee in the district said the number of people who applied to participate in the exercise was bigger as compared to the number of participants needed.
He disclosed that on the first day, the number of people who attended the aptitude test was over 1,025 and the committee only needed 168 and65 motorbike riders.
Mr Namenda disclosed that the 65 motorbike riders were offered as a priority to the government workers from departments with motorbikes to curb the challenge of transport.
Mr Namenda explained that the whole process has been done fairly.
“This is what happens in a situation when the employment rate is very high,” he said.
And when contacted for a comment, Sesheke District Administrative officer (DAO) Albertina Kabatana was shocked that she has been accused of being corrupt during the census recruitment saying that she is one person who believes in delivering her duties accordingly.
Ms Kabatana said she will not let the accusations vanish as it has defamed her character.
She said she will stand in the courts of law to prove if ever she was charging participants for the 2022 census temporal recruitment.
Meanwhile, Mazabuka District Census Committee has urged Enumerators selected to participate in the 2022 Census of Population and Housing to be disciplined and committed to the national exercise, if they are to collect accurate information.
ZANIS reports that Mazabuka District Census Committee, Oliver Mulomba says it is through discipline and commitment that Enumerators would collect accurate information that would help the country’s development planning for the next 10 years.
Mr. Mulomba who is also Mazabuka District Commissioner, said failure by the Enumerators to collect accurate information during the exercise which is set to take place from August 18, 2022 to September 14, 2022 would negatively affect policy formulation and Government’s development planning agenda.
He said this when he officially opened the 10 days training for 2022 Census Enumerators at Makoye Secondary School in Mazabuka.
Mr. Mulomba further said the census committee did not expect to receive reports of Enumerators drinking alcohol on duty.
“You have been recruited by Government and as such your behaviour must be exemplary. Tame any wayward behaviour that you may have during this important national exercise otherwise, we are going to replace you,” he said.
Mr. Mulomba said government expects quality services from those called to serve and as such, those who felt they were not equal to the task were free to leave.
“We want you to focus on doing the work. Avoid sitting under a tree and entering wrong information. If some of you feel that you are not equal to the task or that the work will be too much for you, the door is open,” he said.
And Mr. Mulomba said many people who had applied as Enumerators had not been selected as the number of applicants exceeded the number of slots available.
He encouraged those who were selected not to ridicule their peers who were left out but to instead counsel them and urge them to look for other opportunities.
The Census of Population and Housing is an essential national exercise whose results are invaluable for both national and local policy formulation, planning and the effective targeting of resources.
Surely would he admit that there’s corruption in the recruitment?
Corruption and dishonesty in Zambia is so widespread that there’s no institution that has been spared. This problem is so huge that there’s no single individual that can tackle it alone.