By Patson Chilemba
State House yesterday rushed to refute that Wisdom Bwalya was not fired, 10 months after they announced his contract was terminated, this coming in light of information he has been secretly reinstated after intervention of intermediaries with business connections to State House.
In April, 2023, a statement from President Hakainde Hichilema stated that former Local Government permanent secretary Bwalya’s contract had been terminated, alongside then Inspector General of Police Lemmy Kajoba and three other permanent secretaries Perpetual Mphande Chuulu, Danny Mfune and John Msimuko.
But sources have told Daily Revelation [pp-logged-users] that Bwalya was reinstated following the intervention of some intermediaries. The sources said procedure required that a permanent secretary who had been dismissed should be sworn in again if they were reinstated, something that has not happened in Bwalya’s case.
“From the information gathered after the announcement that he was fired, he was even removed from the whatsapp group for permanent secretaries but a few days later he was reinstated. When you have been reinstated you have to take a fresh oath of office, but he has been working quietly after that position was announced to the public,” sources said.
Daily Revelation contacted State House chief communications specialist over this information.
When asked on reports of secret reinstatement and that Bwalya was actually serving as one of the many permanent secretaries in charge of special duties without being sworn, following pleas from some people, Hamasaka said: “That’s not true. In the first place he as not fired. He was never fired at all. Get it from me he was never fired at all. What could have happened that time I think I am aware of that situation, was just a statement that went out with his name. Yah! I think it was basically like a mistake in that statement to have had his name included. He was never fired.”
“That is the correct situation. He was never fired, it’s just a statement. Even you people in the media there make mistakes, not so?” Hamasaka asked.
But asked why 10 months have since passed without the same being corrected, Hamasaka said: “I think it was corrected around that time. That was I think time of, is it … thing was signed, was it Anthony Bwalya or something?”
But reminded that that announcement was made at a different time from the time Anthony was removed as spokesperson at State House and sent into the Foreign Service as deputy head of mission in Tanzania.
“Oho! Yah! Anyway that is the correct situation. And it must have been corrected if I am not mistaken,” said Hamasaka, however, that position has never been corrected. “Okay, I am telling you now.”
Bwalya was also contacted on the same information. Told that Zambians know that he was among the PSs that were announced to have been dismissed but there was no record of him being sworn in again despite serving in the same capacity, Bwalya referred queries to the Secretary to Cabinet.
“You just call Secretary to Cabinet,” he said, but put to him that he was the subject of the matter and he too could speak to it on why he was fired and reinstated without any public record of him being sworn in again, Bwalya said: “This is why I am saying I will not comment over such matters. Just call the Secretary to Cabinet or the Deputy Secretary to Cabinet Dr Kalabo. Sure.”
