DERRICK CHITALA’S CORRUPT RIDDLED JOURNEY TO POWER
By Bruce Nyirenda/27.04.20
The first appointment of Derrick Chitalu upon his graduation from UNZA in the 1980’s was at Small Industry Organization (SIDO), in which he was hired as a Trainee Manager under one of the senior managers in the organization. His roles included arranging various appointments for his boss and also responding mail on his behalf which he would then take for his signature.
One day Chitala came across a letter in which the Japanese Embassy was inviting SIDO to nominate an official for specialized training in Japan. Chitala withheld the letter from his boss who was scheduled for a local tour two days later. He drafted a response in which he cited himself as the nominee against procedure, and then convinced another director to sign. Chitala took off for Yokohama in Japan without the knowledge of his boss who only learnt of the scam upon his return from his tour of duty. Chitala was fired in absentia and lost his job at SIDO.
Derrick Chitala then joined the MMD revolution under President Fredrick Chiluba but as FTJ was forming his new Cabinet, he discovered that no Cabinet appointee was willing to work with Chitala because of his soiled character. But after intense lobbying Finance Minister Emmanuel Kasonde agreed to take him on as his Deputy in the Finance Ministry.
As Deputy Minister of Finance, Chitala was responsible for unbundling of both local and foreign debt that government owed various organizations in Zambia and abroad. He drew up a list of the debtors who he contacted and demanded a kickback of 10% upfront in his personal account, as a prerequisite for government to pay the outstanding debt.
When President Edgar Lungu appointed Derrick Chitala as Board Chairman of ZESCO, many predicted the corporation was headed for murky waters under his stewardship. Derrick Chitala is an unrepentant corrupt person who will stop at nothing to get a quick buck.
It was only normal for PF to appoint him to such a powerful position to enable them access unlimited resources to finance their stay in power. Under Derrick Chitala, ZESCO’s staff list is wrought with inexperienced, unqualified and underqualified PF cadres from only two regions of Zambia. They have literary grounded the operations of a once vibrant and proud parastatal. Under Chitala, ZESCO has become a sorry sight. a sham and a shame. -Zambian Eagle