… Former Home Affairs Minister calls for open, transparent process

By ENV Reporter

Former Minister of Home Affairs Stephen Kampyongo has advised his successor Jack Mwiimbu to reverse the secret recruitment of 4,000 police officers and instead subject the process to public advertisement.

Speaking in an interview monitored on KBN Television by EMV News yesterday, Mr Kampyongo said it was unfortunate that the recruitment exercise had been conducted without being advertised, thereby denying many eligible Zambians an opportunity to participate.

“Police recruitment is a public exercise which should be undertaken following the procedures that are set out. I call upon the Honourable Minister of Home Affairs, Jack Mwiimbu, to nullify those recruitments so that the procedure is followed,” Mr Kampyongo said.

He questioned the transparency of the process, arguing that recruitment into the police service must be conducted openly to ensure fairness and equal opportunity.

“Because, I would say, where were those recruits identified? It must be a process that is done publicly and for people to participate,” he said.

Mr Kampyongo said even the physical assessment stage of recruitment should be conducted in a transparent manner.

“So, 4,000 yes, small numbers it may sound but if you divide 4,000 by 10 provinces, you see that each province would have at least had a chance to participate in the exercise,” he said

The former minister maintained that adherence to laid-down procedures was critical in preserving public trust and ensuring merit-based recruitment within the police service.