HH should fire Muhanga,
urges Mtayachalo
By Ernest Chanda
CHAMA North PF member of parliament Yotam Mtayachalo has asked President Hakainde Hichilema to dismiss tourism permanent secretary Evans Muhanga for cancelling safari hunting concession agreements against Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha’s advice.
Mtayachalo said if the President himself is not involved in the cancellation, then he should prevail over Muhanga to reverse it or dismiss him.
“The appointing authority should fire PS Muhanga because what he did is illegal. If he (President Hichilema) continues to keep quiet on this matter, then he is involved and he supports that illegal decision because he cannot allow an illegality in this manner. This is an illegal decision that was done against the advice of the chief legal advisor to the government, the Attorney General,” Mtayachalo said.
“The affected people will sue government, and government will lose a lot of money. PS Muhanga is not going to pay from his pocket. It will be the people of Zambia paying for his wrong decision. So, I urge the appointing authority to fire Muhanga and reverse this decision because it’s illegal.”
He said the UPND was going against the rule of law in the decisions made so far.
“The UPND always stand on anti-hills claiming that they are observing the rule of law. Now, if they are a government of laws, why did they cancel those hunting concessions against the advice of the Attorney General?” Mtayachalo asked. “They cannot claim to be promoting the rule of law when they are doing the opposite of what they are saying. When you say you are a government of laws it should apply everywhere. They should not be claiming to be upholding the law on one hand while breaking the same on the other hand.”
He bemoaned the trend of reversing decisions made by the previous administration for political reasons, adding that it was retrogressive.
Mtayachalo said the country would always remain behind because of such mindset from politicians.
“You cannot say that every decision made by the previous government was illegal. This is the problem with Zambian politics where every decision made by your colleagues you deem it as illegal. You want to undo everything that your colleagues did. It doesn’t work like that,” said Mtachalao. “This is why in other countries they have continued with the same political parties in government for continuity. What is happening in Zambia now is retrogressive. It’s not taking us anywhere. UPND cannot tell us that every decision made by PF was wrong or illegal. It’s not true.”
In April this year, Muhanga cancelled safari hunting concession agreements signed in 2020, against the advice of Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha, as the hunting season opened on May 1.
Instead, he ordered a readvertisement of the same in his memorandum to director of national parks and wildlife in the Ministry of Tourism Chuma Simukonda dated April 22, 2022.
And on May 13, 2022, Muhanga terminated the contract for Dr Simukonda who is believed to have advised him against ignoring legal advice from the Attorney General.
According to the Attorney General’s advice in a letter dated January 5, 2022 addressed to President Hakainde Hichilema on tender No. MTA/SP/001/2020, there was nothing illegal about the tender and that cancelling it would attract law suits against the government.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has since said it has taken keen interest in the matter.
Several stakeholders, including good governance activist Brebner Changala, Socialist Party president Fred M’membe, acting PF president Given Lubinda, State Counsel Sakwiba Sikota and chiefs in affected areas have advised Muhanga against the cancellation, warning that government would pay heavily when bidders sue.
Meanwhile, Muhanga told The Mast, recently, that the hunting “licences will be advertised very soon. It will be very soon.”