President Hakainde Hichilema has appointed and sworn in new Permanent Secretaries, Special Assistants to the President and one national coordinator.

The President has challenged the newly sworn-in appointees to deal with the issue of debt burden to help grow the country’s economy.

President Hichilema further urged the newly appointees to reign in on government expenditure and public expenditure where he said buying of things are way above the true cost.

“It is you who is going to stop that so these two is in four parts. Fertiliser too much bleeding there. Blood oozing out of that valve. Fuel procurement some of you have been in government for many years and you know what I’m talking about,” he said.

Mr. Hichilema also implored the new senior government officials to work together and resolve the issues of expenditure in infrastructure development.

He added that that is what the people of Zambia who voted them in power want so that savings can be created for them and passed on to the education sector for their children.

“General procurement, everything is ten times the price,” he said.

And the Head of State indicated that government is re-looking at tendering processes to correct the wrongs that were being committed in the process that almost destroyed the country and its people.

“Please take the messages straight from here that this is the expectation so always know and implement as you take up your new offices,” he emphasised.

The President further urged newly appointed State House legal advisor, Christopher Mundia to make sure that that tender projects do not take long to get cleared so that revenue is created as well as jobs for the people.

“Legal Advisor, when we have a project on a table we want to clear it in a couple of weeks not months, why? Send it away, let the investment come in, domestic, region, foreign so that we can create an extra job,” the President said.

Mr. Hichilema emphasised that it is important that the newly appointees take their roles with full recognition of the obligations that are placed on them by the people of Zambia.

“We are coming in to work for the people of Zambia. So I wish to draw that linkage so that every day we go to the office, every day we have challenges about issues in the office, we must remember that it is the people that we are saving not ourselves,” he said.

And President Hichilema urged the newly Permanent Secretary for Technical Services in the Ministry of Health, Professor Lackson Kasonka to carefully look into the purchasing of drugs.

“Professor Kasonka how we buy the drugs in that Ministry going forward it will show that we are doing it for the people because otherwise, we would never buy expired drugs. So how did that happen because there were other interests before the people of Zambia and the people of Zambia have great trust in you. That’s why you are coming through as Permanent Secretary having gone through a lot in that Ministry,” the President noted.

President Hichilema said the appointment of Prof. Kasonka gives the country an opportunity now to rewrite how business is done in the ministry.

The President said a lot of issues have been tackled which have been bleeding for too long in the country’s administration and the health sector is one of them adding that he believes that the new Permanent Secretary is equal to the task.

“A health nation is a productive nation so we are proud of you,” he said.

And Prof. Kasonka noted in an interview that there is a lot of work to be done in the Ministry of Health to make the nation healthy and grow the economy.

The Permanent Secretary said he has been in administration before and that his appointment will be a continuation but at a higher level with more responsibility than before.

Those sworn in include Joseph Lungu as Special Assistant to the President Policy Compliance, Christopher Mundia Special Assistant to the President Legal Affairs, Margaret Miyoba Permanent Secretary Public Service Management Service Division (PSMD), Ndiwa Mutale Permanent Secretary Parliament Office, Office of the Vice President, Chembo Mvula Permanent Secretary Administration Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Isabel Lemba Permanent Secretary International Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Others are Dickson Matembo Permanent Secretary (PS) Home Affairs and Internal Security, Wisdom Bwalya PS Local Government and Rural Development, Norriana Munenku PS Administration Ministry of Education, Joel Kamoko PS Technical Services Ministry of Education, Brilliant Habeenzu PS Ministry of Technology and Science and Chawe Chuulu PS Commerce Trade and Industry.

The President also swore in Francesca Zyambo PS Ministry of Energy, Mwenya Bwalya PS Legislation and Drafting Ministry of Justice, Miler Mwanakapwe PS Central Province, Bernard Mpundu PS Northern Province, Mighty Mumba PS Luapula Province, Percy Chinayama National Coordinator, Smart Zambia Institute, Dr. Pamela Nakamba Economic Advisor to the President State House and Levy Ngoma as Special Assistant to the President for Political Affairs.

THE Ndola High Court has nullified the election of Kabushi Member of Parliament Bowman Lusambo on grounds of electoral malpractices.

In this matter, United Party for National Development (UPND) losing candidate Bernard Kanengo petitioned Mr Lusambo of the Patriotic Front (PF) citing malpractice before and during the August 12 General elections.

Lusaka High Court Judge Edward Musona sitting in Ndola nullified the seat stating wide spread violence noting that Mr Lusambo did not disassociate himself from his militia group known ‘the Nato Forces’, which was attacking the electorates.

“I am satisfied that the respondent had knowledge of the violence and his alibi regarding the violence episodes which were successfully challenged by the petitioner,” judge Musona said.

During hearing of the petition, Mr Kanengo narrated to the court how he went to hide at a mosque after the respondent’s supporters known as the Nato Forces searched and chased after him as he ran for his dear life with Mr Lusambo and his Nato Forces in hot pursuit.

The Petitioner said he was dissatisfied with the Electoral Commission of Zambia’s declaration of Mr Lusambo as the winner of the August 12 parliamentary seat for Kabushi Constituency because he breached the electoral code of conduct.

The UPND candidate also told court that the Nato Forces poured hot porridge on his supporters in Masala.

“On July 17, I was informed by Robson Kapambwe and Andrew Mulenga on how they were attacked by the Nato Forces. The people were assaulted after the attackers saw them putting on UPND regalia,” he said.

But Mr Lusambo who is popularly known as the ‘bulldozer’ dismissed thhe allegations that he bribed choir groups stating that he has between 2015 and 2021 attended over 40 churches in his constituency in his capacity as area lawmaker.

“As an Mp, my job is to interact with the people and being a Christian my Lord, from 2015 to date, I have visited more than 40 churches and I have interacted with congregants including choir members, ” he said.

Mr Lusambo further dismissed allegations that his agent, a Mrs Nyirenda rounded up UPND members and treated them to a banquet of food.
He described the allegations that he gave a group of young men K4000 and also promised them slug dumps once they voted for him as total imagination and fabrication.

“On the material day, I was in Lusaka preparing campaign materials for our party on the province,” he said.

And The Lusaka High Court has also nullified the Kwacha parliamentary seat held by former foreign affairs minister Joseph Malanji.

Meanwhile, the Lusaka High Court has dismissed the election petition by losing UPND Matero constituency parliamentary candidate Tom Michelo.

Mr. Michelo had petitioned the election of PF Matero Member of Parliament Miles Sampa alleging that he had engaged in electoral malpractices thereby rendering the election not free and fair.

Rendering judgment in the matter, High Court Judge Derrick Mulenga dismissed the petition on the basis that the petitioner failed to prove the allegations leveled against the respondent.

Judge Mulenga says the petitioner failed to meet the threshold required for an election to be nullified.

And speaking to journalists shortly after the judgment was delivered, Mr. Sampa described the whole process as emotional especially because he was accused of beating up voters when he was the victim.

Meanwhile visibly annoyed UPND members accused the opposition PF of having placed cadres in most government offices, hence the unfair outcome of the petition.

Vice President Mutale Nalumango has apologized to Parliament after initially suggesting that the charge of attempted murder facing former Defence Minister Davies Chama was a non-bailable offence.

The vice president was responding to a question by the leader of the opposition in Parliament Brian Mundubile who wanted to know why the Police have continued to detain suspects for a prolonged period against the President’s pronouncement that no one will be detained for more than 48 hours for bondable offences.

The Vice President said she had consulted and that she was guided by the relevant people that the offence of attempted murder was available.

Mrs Nalumango said she was not ashamed to admit the omission.

Mr Chama has been in Police detention for the last six days for a case of attempted murder committed during a by-election in Mulobezhi constituency in 2015.

The government has said that it is in a hurry to deal with constraints to private sector investment and growth in order to elevate the economy to higher levels of growth.

Finance and National Planning Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane’s investments in Parastatals must expand strategically and make profits so that job-creation and social sector expenditure needs are fulfilled.

Dr. Musokotwane was speaking when Indo-Zambia Bank Chairperson Michael Gondwe and his delegation held a bilateral meeting at the Ministry of Finance Headquarters in Lusaka today.

The Minister commended Indo-Zambia Bank as one of the Government’s good investment stories which have been growing and posting profits consistently for many years.

Dr. Musokotwane applauded the Bank’s governance structure whose focus has been an effective instrument in enabling the institution to favorably compete in the financial market.

He said in the last five years, Indo-Zambia Bank has paid over 2 hundred and 35 million Kwacha in dividends through Industrial Development Corporation and an additional one billion Kwacha in taxes.

And Dr. Gondwe who is also former Bank of Zambia governor said the transformative nature of the 2022 National budget will respond to the country’s economic challenges.

Dr. Gondwe was accompanied by the Bank’s Managing Director Kowdichah Shashidar and General Manager Godwin Ngoma.

He pledged the readiness of Indo-Zambia’s Joint Venture Partners, Board, Management and staff, to collaborate with the Government and ensure that the Bank aligned its strategy with the priorities set in the 2022 National Budget.

And Mr. Shashidar took time to outline the performance of the Bank over the last years.

He said the Bank had posted a 3 hundred and 40 percent growth in the total assets from 2.9 Billion in 2016 to 10 Billion in 2020.

This is according to a statement issued to ZNBC News in Lusaka.