By Isaac Zulu
Former Ambassador to Ethiopia Emmanuel Mwamba has charged that the UPND administration wants to reinstate thieves that were dismissed from the public service by the Patriot Front regime.
In statement posted on his Facebook page, Ambassador Mwamba has recounted that individuals that the UPND government wants to reinstate in the civil service after conducting some hearings were either suspended or dismissed from the public service for alleged involvement in fraud and theft of donor money, and were cited in the Auditor General’s Report.
“In 2018, the UK government froze aid funding to Zambia, after government admitted that $4.3m (£3.3m) meant for poor families had gone missing. The affected sectors included education, health and nutrition sectors including community development. Ireland, Finland and Sweden followed suit and also suspended aid. The theft occurred to social cash transfer funds and the funds supporting Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs) and special programmes in science and mathematics. Following a Forensic Audit by the Auditor General Office, the Ministry of Education suspended seventy one (71) members of staff pending disciplinary hearings and dismissals, over allegations of their involvement in fraud and theft of donor funded money,” Ambassador Mwamba recounted. A Minister was fired and prosecuted while other heads of departments including the Permanent Secretary at Education were suspended or fired.”
Ambassador Mwamba is now wondering why the Civil Service Commission has decided to submit a list of those suspected to have been found wanting, with a view to reinstate them immediately on grounds that they were either suspended or dismissed based on their ethnicity.
He charged that the process to reinstate individuals cited in the Auditor General’s Report lacks transparency and objectivity.
“Now Ministry of Education and the Civil Service Commission have submitted a list to the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) seeking clearance that the suspected thieves found wanting by the Auditor General’s Office are immediately reinstated and if possible turned into witnesses. They claim there were harassed or expelled as a case of victimization,” explained Ambassador Mwamba. “Clearly the process to reinstate those that could have been genuinely been affected is being abused as it lacks transparency and objectivity. We saw a case of someone that was dismissed at ZESCO in 2013 (before Edgar Lungu’s government) reinstated and given a senior position.
And Ambassador Mwamba has charged that the committee that has been constituted to hear cases of individuals that were suspended or dismissed from the civil service and is sitting at Sandy’s Creation are drawing huge allowances, saying such huge public resources could have not been wasted on such an undertaking that can easily be executed in boardrooms or at the Government Complex.
“Separately but connected to this, a committee is currently sitting at Sandy’s Creation for the next 60 days to hear cases of those seeking to be reinstated because they were allegedly dismissed on allegations of ethnic or other form of victimisation. Of concern is that such work can be done at board rooms at government offices or government facilities such as Government complex or Mulungushi International Conference than hiring very expensive private conference and lodging facilities,” Ambassador Mwamba further stated. “What happened to the pronouncement on “No Workshops” to save costs? Further, what is the work of Constitutional Service Commissions tasked to do such work? Yet, their work is being done by such committees that have no authority or mandate but drawing huge allowances and incurring huge expenses?”
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