Former Patriotic Front (PF) Luanshya Member of Parliament Steve Chungu has charged that President Hakainde Hichilema does not have a good cabinet that meets the aspirations of the Zambian people.
Mr. Chungu, the former Government Chief Whip, said most of the cabinet ministers and their portfolios in the New Dawn government are under performing.
He said some people believe President Hichilema has made ministers lack political track record and experience.
“I don’t know the members of the cabinet. I don’t know the Ministers. I don’t remember seeing them when I served as Member of Parliament during my time in Parliament. I can’t remember seeing any of those guys, knowing where they are coming from. I do not know them. There is no political track record, apart from Honourable Elijah Muchima (Lands Minister), Honourable Garry Nkombo (Local Government Minister), Honourable Douglas Siakalima (Education Minister), Honourable Cornelius Mweetwa (Southern Province Minister) those are the people are worked with in my ten year term as Member of Parliament. Just a few of them, the rest of them I don’t know. I am just also getting this information from the Zambian people that they are very disappointed with the team under President Hakainde Hichilema. His cabinet is not performing according to the expectations of the people because many of our sectors, many of the ministries they have put up, like the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises; I don’t know why it is there and what it is doing,” Mr. Chungu said.
He questioned the performance of Energy Minister Peter Kapala and his Infrastructure colleague Charles Milupi.
“There is another ministry called Green Economy, I don’t know what it is doing. I don’t know what it has done in the last one year, five months. There is nothing to talk about. Provincial Ministers, I think the only one I have heard of having his name on the ground, talking about things that are making sense is Cornelius Mweetwa for Southern Province, Credo Nanjuwa from Central Province. The other ministers are mute. There is nothing coming from them. So President Hichilema does not have a good team. He does not have a good team. Look at the Energy Minister (Peter Kapala), the Minister of Infrastructure (Charles Milupi), when he came in we heard a lot that we will do this and that. He was all over the country checking on roads, condemning this and that, they (PF) should have done better but it’s now seventeen months but nothing has happened. Even the Ndola-Lusaka Road they promised that it will be worked on but as we speak the contractor is not on site,” Mr. Chungu said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Chungu said if President Hichilema was a tough leader he would have fired Agriculture Minister Reuben Mtolo Phiri for mishandling the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP).
Late distribution of inputs characterised the 2022 FISP with President Hichilema acknowledging that the programme was not implemented well this season.
“Zambia will be much worse than in 2022 and I can give you reasons as to why. Our crop production will be very bad in this country. Going by the FISP programme that was mishandled. By now if it was those tough Presidents, the man under the Ministry of Agriculture (Reuben Mtolo Phiri) could have lost his job because first and foremost the Zambian people had complained over the manner in which they were procuring fertiliser. They floated tenders for fertiliser procurement but cancelled them but engaged other people and bought the fertiliser at a much higher price. Fertiliser under the PF was $1000 per tonne. In the 2021 season they went and bought fertiliser at $1,400 per tonne and continued rising these figures and we were also being told to say they have saved $3,000,000 under the FISP programme. How possible is that? Because they have bought fertiliser at a much higher price. Yes they have saved because they did not give fertiliser to all beneficiaries . They reduced the number of beneficiaries. Is that something they can be proud of and say they have managed to save money? You punish people and then go in public to say we have saved money,” Mr. Chungu said.
