There was confusion at the Choma Municipal Council offices yesterday morning when Patriotic Front( PF) senior officials positioned themselves at the civic centre to block newly appointed Town Clerk Mwiiya Mwiiya from reporting for work.
The PF officials lead by District Vice Chairman Kebby Mbewe rushed to the civic centre after word went round that Mr Mwiiya who is a Monze Council Secretary had arrived in Choma to take over from the incumbent Town Clerk Oliver Muuka.
The PF officials threatened to lock the Town clerk‘s office if at all Mr Mwiiya showed up.
Yesterday the PF leadership vowed not to allow the Local Government Service Commissioner Transfer current Town clerk Oliver Muuka out of the district due to what they termed as unfair treatment.
By 11.00 hours the PF officials were still maintaining vigil at the civic centre while Mr Mwiiya was nowhere to be seen.
The PF has urged the Local Government Service Commissioner to resist being used by disgruntled former council senior officials who want to settle personal scores with the current Town clerk Oliver Muuka.
By press time, Mr Muuka was still in his office while PF officials maintained their presence.
And Patriotic Front (PF) in Choma says it will not accept the current attempts by the Local Government Services Commission to transfer Town Clerk Oliver Muuka to another town.
The PF said it is dismayed to learn that the commission intends to transfer Mr Muuka who has been working hard to shape the district into a new provincial capital for Southern province.
In a statement released to the media in Choma and jointly signed by three senior members of PF in the district which included District Vice Chairman Kebby Mbewe, District Political Secretary Bernadette Hamweemba and District Secretary Peter Kampamba, they stated that Mr Muuka has transformed Choma to the level of a status befitting a well meaning local authority.
They also indicated that when Mr Muuka was transferred to Choma early this year, he took over a local authority that was limping with operations almost grinding to a halt but that within a short period, the situation had remarkably changed.
The party said Mr Muuka has managed to restore fiscal discipline at the local authority that was dogged by financial mismanagement which culminated into the suspension of all chief officers by then Local Government Minister Professor Nkandu Luo..
The PF district leadership has argued that it is illogical for the commission to think of removing a Town Clerk who has worked very hard not only to restore financial discipline but also preparing Choma into the new provincial capital.
“When President Michael Sata pronounced Muchinga province and Chinsali as a provincial headquarters, things started moving but the situation in Choma which was also pronounced as a new provincial capital did not change because of low caliber staff who were then at the council,” the statement said.
The PF has warned that no one will be allowed to take over from Mr Muuka should the commission implement the planned transfer.
“No one will be allowed to take over from Mr Muuka as he will find it difficult to work with the PF and we underscore that we will not allow the local government commission to be corruptly abused by few individual commissioners,” the statement said.
The PF said because of the ongoing confusion created by the commission at the council, service delivery has been negatively affected as the Chief Executive Office is not sure of his stay at the institution.
“We ask the Minister of Local Government and Housing to intervene in the matter. As a ruling party, we shall not stand aloof and watch the council being destroyed. We know that some former council employees connected to the commission are behind these detrimental schemes.”
ZANIS
Keep him there, don’t have him moved. He is a performer.
I thought Zambia had 10 provinces. Please pay attention to detail!
Is anybody working in Zambia? No. Why? We are all dazzled, bitter, excited, dissapointed, discouraged, realigned, fired, broke, corrupt, ignorant, frustrated, waiting for someone to kick a bucket. When?
This is anarchy!
in everything u do continuety en constistance is key.it has taken muka 10months to settle en lay down his vision 4da local authority en as he begins his work u move me,y?it ll take the new man almost da same time 4him 2get to speed mean while da wheels of time dosnt wait 4any 1.let da man work en stop da nosense
Evrybody is being transfered.no one owns or has a monopoly of any council,hardworking or not.mr.mwiya is hard working and a disciplinerian.
Pls give mr mwiya a chance.. He is a hard worker. I had worked with him while he was CS shangombo.