… Questions mount over adherence to 2021 campaign pledges

By EMV Reporter

Patriotic Front (PF) chairperson for information and publicity Emmanuel Mwamba has called on Zambians to hold President Hakainde Hichilema accountable to his 2021 pre-election promise that there would be no secret recruitment in the defence and security wings.

Speaking as host of the EMV podcast on Saturday night, Mr Mwamba said confidential documents indicated that the Zambia Police Service had secretly recruited about 3,000 individuals without a public process or advertisement.

Mr Mwamba said the development was contrary to President Hichilema’s earlier assurances that all recruitment in the security and defence sector would be conducted transparently and through publicly accepted procedures.

“He said there will be no secret recruitment, whether it’s in health, whether it’s teachers, whether it’s in the defence forces. Here we are. Last month, there was a pass-out parade of up to 2,000 officers at Zambia National Service, and people asked: when was the recruitment done? Was there an advert? It looks like they think they can get away with it,” Mr Mwamba said.

He questioned how many other recruitments may have been conducted outside public scrutiny, urging citizens to demand accountability from the Head of State.

“We don’t know how many other secret recruitments have taken place, but let’s hold President Hakainde Hichilema to his own word. He promised that young people would access job opportunities in a fair and public manner, without favouritism but here it is,” he said.

Mr Mwamba, however, said the young people recruited through the process should not be blamed, describing them as victims of alleged tribalism, nepotism and favouritism in the system.