PUBLIC OUTRAGE AFTER UPND SENIOR OFFICIALS EXPOSE A SECRET POLICE RECRUITMENT

PUBLIC OUTRAGE AFTER UPND SENIOR OFFICIALS EXPOSE A SECRET POLICE RECRUITMENT



The secret recruitment process of more than 3, 000 officers that mirrors mobilization of men and women being prepared for a secret combat has sparked outrage in the country where the ruling party has committed to maximum transparency in hiring public workers.

The officers expected to start training today at Lilayi Police College, Kamfinsa School of Public Order Maintenance and Sondela Police Training College were recruited without any public notice and advertisement to beef cup security ahead of the August 2026 general election.

UPND Kamwala councillor in Kabwata Constituency Mainda Simataa was the first to raise the lid on the discreet recruitment of would-be officers.

Simataa posted on his official Facebook page: “The secret recruitment of 4, 000 Zambia Police officers without advertising is so wrong. That recruitment must be cancelled and done transparently. If secret job recruitments were wrong under PF, even under UPND they should be wrong. STOP IT!”

Later, UPND Lusaka Province information & publicity secretary Matomola Likwanya also confirmed the secret recruitment.



Likwanya called for the abortion of the current recruitment process to be replaced with a fresh, new and transparent process.

“Are you aware that someone’s child on Sunday (today) is reporting in camp to train as a police officer secretly? Bally, all job recruitment since 2021 have been advertised and open; why this one? Look, we went to prison and suffered so much hard for this party to form government to help the poor people and not to have a few privileged to have their children recruited and leave out ordinary poor Zambians,” Likwanya wrote on his Facebook page.

“He adds: “This I will keep speaking about it because it is not right because it undermines what the President stands for and I know he’s a transparent leader… Let the process be halted and be restarted again noti ivo you’re decampaigning the party we fought so much to husher (usher) in power.”

Feeling the heat, Zambia Police issued a statement following public complaints and misconceptions surrounding the recently conducted staffing exercise, particularly claims that the process lacked transparency.

Through its public relations officer Godfrey Chilabi, Zambia Police said the current recruitment exercise is different from the regular recruitment exercise, which is widely advertised to the public and is yet to be conducted.

According to the statement, during this process, internal advertisements were issued mainly to qualified civilian employees within the Service, giving them an opportunity to transition into the regular police (mainstream) establishment.

“In addition, several positions were offered to candidates who remained on the waiting list in the database from the 2023 recruitment exercise, as well as to individuals with essential technical and trade skills, according to a statement by Chilabi.

On February 7, 2026, Zambia Police issued a statement dispelling information that there was a secret recruitment of officers at the time.

“The Zambia Police Service wishes to categorically state that there is no recruitment exercise currently underway. Members of the public are advised that whenever recruitment is conducted, it will be officially announced through recognized and credible media channels,” the Zambia Police statement read in part.