By Merlyn Mwanza
Former Luapula Province permanent secretary Major Ben Phiri says if only Stephen Kampyongo and those he served with in PF had used the $42 million spent on fire tenders wisely, it could have helped the underprivileged better their educational standards.
In a press statement to Daily Revelation, Maj Phiri stated that he listened to former Home Affairs minister Kampyongo’s response to President Hakainde Hichilema’s speech on the occasion of the official opening of the 1st session of the 13th National Assembly, with disbelief.
He stated that Kampyongo was perhaps the worst Home Affairs minister the entire SADC region has ever produced in that he presided over the affairs of internal security with unprecedented political interference to the extent that violence against innocent Zambians was the order of the day, and that “Paya Farmer (PF) cadres” had unfettered powers to even obscure the functions of the State police in many instances, with impunity.
“For Kampyongo to publicly advertise his ignorance the way he did on the concept of free education, was yet another example of how deficient the fallen regime was on rationality and priorities in various sectors of the economy. Firstly, Kampyongo must know that free education is very possible when the leadership prioritises service delivery to it’s citizens. Rwanda which experienced a horrifying spell of genocide in 1994, was able to roll out it’s free education policy as early as 2003 on account of its zero tolerance for corruption,” Maj Phiri argued. “Incidentally, Kampyongo happened to have been the line minister of Local Government the time the infamous, moribund and overpriced Fire tenders were procured at a whopping US$1 million each and the government coughed an astronomical US$42 million for what Hon Lucky Mulusa appropriately described as “wheel barrow like” mobile monuments.
Major Phiri continued.
“Supposing, we as a country, prudently used the $42 million on supporting the underprivileged learners at various levels in the educational sector, how many would we have assisted in universities, colleges and schools generally? What about the money spent on the superfluous Ndola new airport not to mention the exaggerated amount that went on the construction of the toll gate along the Ndola Kitwe dual carriage way?” Major Phiri asked. “President Hichilema unlike the defeated Edgar Lungu, has a purpose in leadership which is intended to better the lives of ALL citizens. Further President Hichilema will NEVER sanction wasteful expenditure that is fraught with corruption. He will instead ensure that frugality and rectitude are the cornerstones of how public resources are utilised.”
Major Phiri observed that under the PF, fertilizer was abnormally over priced because of the benefits that individuals derived from a totally failed modus operandi in the procurement, handling and distribution of the commodity by those in authority at the time.
“No attention was paid to the prospect of revamping the operations at the Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia for instance because of personal interests. Luckily, we the majority of Zambians gave marching orders to the inept PF on August 12th and my expectation is that Zambia will now prosper with President Hakainde Hichilema at the helm of the country’s political pyramid,” said Major Phiri. “With the foreseeable huge savings that the country will make as a consequence of plugging the corruption holes, free education will be implemented under President HH.”
