4,000 RECRUITS CANNOT BE CLASSIFIED AS INTERNAL – MTONGA
RE: CONCERNS OVER “INTERNAL” RECRUITMENT EXERCISE BY THE ZAMBIA POLICE SERVICE
To: Zambia Police Service
I wish to formally register my concern regarding the recent recruitment exercise described as an “internal staffing measure” by the Zambia Police Service.
While I acknowledge the operational need to address vacancies arising from retirements, attrition, and resignations, the scale and nature of this exercise raise serious legal, administrative, and governance concerns.
1. Scale of Recruitment Raises Red Flags
The reported intake of approximately 4,000 recruits cannot reasonably be classified as an internal adjustment.
Internal recruitment, by its very nature, is:
Limited in scope
Targeted at existing personnel
Incremental in nature
A process of this magnitude constitutes, in substance, a national recruitment exercise, regardless of how it is labeled.
2. Misclassification Undermines Transparency
The attempt to categorize a large-scale intake as “internal” creates the impression of:
Avoidance of public scrutiny
Circumvention of open competition
Unequal access to public employment opportunities
Under the Constitution of Zambia, public institutions are bound by principles of:
Transparency
Accountability
Equal opportunity
Further, the Service Commissions Act requires that recruitment into public service be conducted on a fair and competitive basis.
These principles are not optional; they are foundational.
3. Public Confidence Is at Risk
Even if elements of the exercise included:
Internal candidates
Individuals from prior waiting lists
The absence of a clear, nationwide public announcement creates a credibility gap.
Public institutions do not operate only on legality—they operate on trust.
And trust requires:
Visibility, openness, and equal access
4. Demand for Clarification and Reform
I therefore call upon the Zambia Police Service Commission and the Zambia Police Service to provide:
Full disclosure of:
Number of recruits
Categories (internal vs external vs waiting list)
Legal basis for classifying this exercise as “internal”
Public release of the selection criteria used
5. Policy Position Going Forward
To prevent recurrence, I strongly recommend:
Mandatory public announcement thresholds
Any recruitment exceeding a defined number (e.g., 100 officers) must be publicly advertised
Clear statutory distinction between:
Internal promotions
External recruitment
Publication of recruitment outcomes for public accountability
Conclusion
A recruitment process of this scale cannot be internal in both form and substance.
The integrity of public institutions depends not only on compliance with the law, but on adherence to the spirit of fairness and openness that the law seeks to protect.
The Zambia Police Service must lead by example.
Issued by:
George N. Mtonga, MBA