Over 100,000 Civil Servants to Move From Various Ministries To Councils Under The Decentralisation Process.

 By Masauso Mkwayaya.

Since the post-independence era, Zambia’s activities particularly those regarding resource management, planning and decision-making, have been concentrated within provincial capitals and the national capital city, Lusaka.

This means that management of resources at District, Provincial and National levels is in the hands of a few officials.

This way of managing national affairs is termed as centralization; centralization refers to the concentration of a government's power – both geographically and politically – into a centralized government.

A centralized country like Zambia deprives citizens at the grass roots of an opportunity to give input in the planning of their localities.

For many years now, the Zambian citizenry has had very minimal and in most instances, NO participation in the managing of resources in their communities.

Governance experts have attributed this state of affairs to the centralized governance   system which Zambia currently practices.

In an attempt to change the status-quo, the then MMD Government led by the late President Fredrick Chiluba  introduced measures that tried to phase away the centralized governance system.

In 1993, the MMD government introduced the Public Service Reform Programme (PSRP).

The programme included among other two major reforms, the Decentralization and Strengthening of Local Government (DSLG) element.

The core essence of the element was to expedite the de-concentration of central governments functions to provinces and local authorities. This was in an effort to enhance participatory governance.

Governments plan at that time was to de-concentrate functions such as Agriculture Extension, Primary Education and Primary Health Care functions from central government to the district levels .

But despite those ambitious, interventions, the then MMD government failed to provide a workable decentralization framework which would benefit ordinary citizens.

Commentators say the government then, failed to give an opportunity to citizens to participate in the governance   of the country because they concentrated on de-concentrating government functions.

Commentators note that de-concentration is the weakest form of decentralization because it only redistributes decision making authority and financial management responsibilities among different levels of the central government.

 In principal it merely shifts responsibilities from central government officials in the capital city to those working in provinces or districts.

During the same period, the government further weakened the local authorities (councils) by removing some of their functions such as the issuing of drivers licenses.

Some of those functions are said to have been, generating a lot of money for the local authorities.

Former Lusaka Mayor Daniel Chisenga said the decision by government to remove some functions from local authorities drastically reduced the revenue base for the councils.

Mr. Chisenga said government worsened the situation by selling council houses.  He said the houses were important assets that local authorities depended on .

On the other hand it is argued that the Fredrick Chiluba’s Government succeeded to decentralize certain government responsibilities through another form of decentralisation known as, privatization!

Some stakeholders argue that the late Presidents Chiluba’s decision to allow private enterprises to perform functions that had previously been monopolized by the then government; was a successful form of decentralisation in its own right.

However in 2004 the late Levy Patrick Mwanawasa’s administration launched the decentralization policy.

The policy is said to have been shelved because it lacked political will.

Nonetheless, a few years later, on July 16, 2013, the late President Micheal Sata launched the revised edition of the decentralization policy.

A copy of the revised National Decentralistion Policy.Photo by :Masauso Mkwayaya

Launching the Policy at the Lusaka City Council Nakatindi grounds, President SATA hoped the policy would be an opportunity for the people to have total control of their resources.

The revised decentralization policy which President Sata launched is now providing guidance to the current administration on how they should carry out the decentralization process.

The Policy has been tipped for success because it is following a more practical form or decentralisation called devolution.

This is because devolution transfers responsibilities for services to municipalities that elect their own mayors and councils.

In a devolved system, the Public Corporations (councils) raise their own revenues, and have independent authority to make investment decisions.

To that effect the current government led by President Edagr Lungu has a Management Development Division which falls under cabinet office.

One of the Division’s core functions is to spear- head the decentralization process.

The Permanent Secretary in the Division Ndasha Yumba says the local authorities have already been restructured to pave way for about 14 structures which will be devolved from central government.

Mr Yumba said some of the functions which will be devolved from different ministries are ; Primary Health Care, Public Health ,Primary Education ,Agriculture Extension Services among others.

And immediate past Lusaka City Mayor George Nyendwa, confirmed that the personnel at the local authority had undergone capacity building to prepare for the new structures that will be devolved to the council.

The Former Mayor also said the local authority has already started working with some officials from other government ministries.

He said the Lusaka City Council has already started working with the District Health Office on issues of Public Health.

The Former Mayor added that the council will FULLY devolve once logistics are completed by the central government.

The task to prepare ministerial devolution plans is under the care of the Decentralization Secretariat.  

And Director of the Decentralization Secretariat Alfred Sakwiya revealed that 14 government Ministries have already completed doing their devolution plans    .

He says the plans are just awaiting approval from cabinet office.

Mr. Ndashe Yumba, the Permanent at the Management Development Division   confirmed that by April 2016 ,cabinet office had already started approving the devolution plans.

The approval of the plans is expected to add impetus to the devolution process.

The Decentralization Secretariat said once the devolution process is in full gear, about hundred thousand(100,000) civil servants will be moved from various ministries   to different local authorities across the country.

The Secretariat says some of the civil servants who will be moved are those from ministries that offer Primary Education, Primary Health Care, Agriculture Extension and Community Development Services.

And the Local Government Service Commission   , the institution which is mandated to look at the Human Resource Requirements in local authorities said they have already started receiving concerns from Local Government Workers.

The Commission says a lot of Council workers are worried that other people from Government Ministries will take up their jobs.

The Commission has however clarified that no one will lose their jobs as a result of decentralisation.

Commission Secretary Lazarous Mulenda said no council employee will lose their job because the human resource who will be moved to the local authorities will be doing the same things that they were doing in Ministries were they will come from.

Mr. Mulenda said councils will be administering functions that were previously managed by the central government .   

Meanwhile the former Lusaka Mayor has cautioned that the increased responsibility that will be bestowed upon the councils will require adequate funding if councils are to operate effectively.

And the Management Development Division at cabinet office has revealed that local authorities will be adequately funded.

Division Permanent Secretary Ndashe Yumba said Government has already put in place a Local Government Equalization Fund which is aimed at deliberately funding local authorities, especially those in rural areas.

The revised decentralisation policy states that councils will be headed by Mayors, or Council Chairpersons who will be elected by adult suffrage in the council area.

The electing of mayors has been concretised by the amended constitution which was assented to by President Edgar Lungu on January 5 2016.

Previously Mayors and Council Chairperson were drawn from Councillors. Councillors used to elect Mayors and Council Chairpersons from among themselves .

The electing of Mayors and Council Chairpersons is expected to make the mayoral office more answerable and sensitive to people’s needs.

The mayoral  position has further being strengthened because all basic services at District level will be under the eye of the mayor.

This means that the human and monetary resources of offices such the District Education Board Secretary (DEBS), District Community Development Services, District Agriculture Extension Services will be managed by the council.

The electing of mayors will furthermore enable people to hold their leaders accountable.

Once decentralisation in Zambia takes full effect, Political stability will be secured because people will actively participate in development activities.

Accountability will also be enhanced because local representatives will be more accessible to the local populace.

However authorities must create or maintain “enabling conditions" that will allow local authorities to take on more responsibilities.

And If Zambia is to fully decentralize; Political Interference in local authorities should be avoided at all cost.

Child Marriages Reduce in Chikwanda Village.

By Masauso Mkwayaya

 

Child Marriages in Chief Chikwanda's Chiefdom  of the Bemba speaking people in Mpika District of Muchinga Province  have drastically reduced.

 

The Chiefdom is now only recording about 3 cases of Child Marriages every month compared to the over 15 cases recorded the same period a few years ago.

 

Scratching his well-manicured hair and clad in a black suit, the happy looking Chief Chikwanda revealed that cases of Child Marriages have reduced because of the Child Marriage By-Laws that his Chiefdom has put in place to deter would be perpetrators.

 

 One of such By-Law is a law that calls for the revocation of Land from a family that marries off an underage Child.

 

“ On the land application form, we have attached some rules that everyone applying for land is expected to follow, for instance a family that marries off their children, is expected to retain any land in the possession to the chiefdom” Chief Chikwanda said.

 

This can also be attributed to  the Anti-GBV and Child Marriages Committee that helps  in dealing with any Child Rights Issues in the area.

 

The Chief''s Committee members are able to effectively identify Infringements on Children's rights because of the training that they received from World Vision on Child Rights Issues a few years ago.

 

The Chikwanda Chiefdom says it is very thankful to World Vision for imparting skills in its subject who are now well vested with Child Rights related issues.

 

“ We are very thankful to Wolrd Vision Zambia who have helped us form to form Anti GBV Clubs in Schools, where headteachers are playing the focal point role between the schools and the chiefdom” Chief Chikwanda said.

 

Chief CHIKWANDA has however complained that his committee finds it difficult to extend their services to the entire Chikwanda Chiefdom because they do not have transport.Chikwanda Chiefdom is about 72 square kilometers as such it is difficult to reach other areas without a motor vehicle.

 Government and other NGO's  should therefore cheep in and assist the Chiefdom with a vehicle which will help the people spearheading the Anti GBV and Child Marriages activities to easily move around.The Chief said this during a meeting with his GBV committee, who met him in a concrete shelter outside his palace that overlooks some hills.

The Chikwanda palace is located about 15 kilometers on the eastern side of Mpika Central Business District .

 

GOVERNMENT DECLARES THE FIRST SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH ,AS A GENERAL CLEANING DAY.

An aerial view of the Kafue Round About.
Photo taken from the 19th floor of  FINDECO House By Masauso Mkwayaya

By Masauso Mkwayaya

Zambia is said to be generally a beautiful country. Its cities are blessed with green vegetation and well planned townships that are said to be built and paved from copper sales. 

But in recent years, its beauty has seemingly been hidden and buried under, plastics, bottles, papers and other waste materials.

These materials are indiscriminately dumped and thrown almost anywhere and everywhere.

And most of these materials are remains of products that are manufactured by different companies .The products are packed in plastics, bottles and wrappers that end up indiscriminately dumped and thrown on the streets of Zambia. And in most cases, these companies do not invest in initiatives to manage the waste which they produce.

A pile of garbage on an island ,on Lusaka's Lumumba Road
in the Central Business District .Photo: Masauso Mkwayaya

And this state of affairs has gone unchecked for many years.

But now, the smelly stench, produced from heaps and hills of garbage, dotted in different parts of Zambia, have become so strong such that they have reached the Presidents nose.

In his maiden address to the National Assembly on September 18, 2015, President Edgar Lungu acknowledged the dirtiness of the country. As a result he directed the Ministry of Local Government to fully revive the keep Zambia Clean Campaign.

On Saturday September 3, the Ministry of Local Government moved swiftly and officially re-launched the Keep Zambia Clean Campaign, dubbed, Smart Zambia Campaign.

Minister of Local Government John Phiri called on all companies to make Zambia clean.

“ I am asking all companies to make Zambia Clean by investing a little money in the Campaign ,I am very proud of Zambia breweries who are investing in initiatives to recycle waste that they produce ,especially opaque beer packs. I am therefore urging other companies to follow suit” Dr. Phiri said.

And as a measure to make the campaign as practical and as inclusive as possible, Government through Dr. Phiri declared the first Saturday of every month as a general cleaning day.

“Cleanness is an everyday thing, but on every first Saturday of every month, citizens and households will be required to engage in cleanness activities on their surroundings and communities” Dr. Phiri said.

Dr. Phiri(In white coat) leads Government officials in clearing garbage in Lusaka's Chilenje
township, during the launch of the keep Zambia Clean Campaign.

The step taken by Government to sweep Zambia clean is long overdue, but it will need efforts from all of us, if Zambia is to turn into a clean and green country.

The Zambia Youthful Thought therefore recommends that the Local Authorities (The councils) come up with By-Laws which will compel people to practice good waste and environmental management habits.

If anything, the By-Laws should also lead to the prosecution of anyone found  littering and indiscriminately dumping waste.

Further public transporters, especially those that have buses operating on local routes, should ensure that they put bins on their buses where passengers will throw things, as opposed to throwing them outside the widows as is the trend currently.

As President Egdar Lungu once said, things don’t just happen, they are made to happen. Likewise, Zambia will not make itself clean, it’s us the people who will, especially us the young ones because we have the energy.

This can also serve as an opportunity to create wealth and a means to create employment. Young entrepreneurs should team up and come up with innovative ways to manage and recycle waste and make money out of it. I am sure Government and other stake holders are willing to support anything tangible that will make Zambia Clean.

GOVERNMENT DECLARES THE FIRST SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH AS A GENERAL CLEANING DA

.

Zambia is said to be generally a beautiful country. Its cities are blessed with green vegetation and well planned townships that are said to be built and paved from copper sales.  

But in recent years, its beauty has seemingly being hidden and buried under, plastics, bottles, papers and other waste materials.

These materials are indiscriminately dumped and thrown almost anywhere and everywhere.

And most of these materials are remains of products that are manufactured by different companies .The products are packed in plastics, bottles and wrappers that end up indiscriminately dumped and thrown on the streets of Zambia. And most of cases, these companies do not invest in initiatives to manage the waste that they produce.

And this state of affairs has gone unchecked for many years.

But now, the smelly stench, produced from heaps and hills of garbage, dotted in different parts of Zambia, have become so strong such that they have reached the Presidents nose.

In his maiden address to the National Assembly on September 18 2015, President Edgar Lungu acknowledged the dirtiness of the country. As a result he directed the Ministry of Local Government to fully revive the keep Zambia Clean Campaign.

On Saturday September 3, the Ministry of Local Government moved swiftly and officially re-launched the Keep Zambia Clean Campaign, dubbed, Smart Zambia Campaign.

Minister of Local Government John Phiri called on all companies to make Zambia clean.

“ I am asking all companies to make Zambia Clean by investing a little money in the Campaign ,I am very proud of Zambia breweries who are investing in initiatives to recycle waste that they produce ,especially opaque beer packs. I am therefore urging other companies to follow suit” Dr. Phiri said.

And as a measure to make the campaign as practical and as inclusive as possible, Government through Dr. Phiri declared the first Saturday of every month as a general cleaning day.

“Cleanness is an everyday thing, but on every first Saturday of every month, citizens and households will be required to engage in cleanness activities on their surroundings and communities” Dr. Phiri said.

The step taken by Government to sweep Zambia clean is long overdue, but it will need efforts from all of us, if Zambia is to turn into a clean and green country.

The Zambia Youthful Thought therefore recommends that the Local Authorities (The councils) come up with By-Laws which will compel people to practice good waste and environmental management habits.

If anything, the By-Laws should also lead to the prosecution of anyone found wanting of littering and indiscriminately dumping waste.

Further public transporters, especially those that have buses operating on local routes, should ensure that they put bins on their buses where passengers will throw things, as opposed to throwing them outside the widows as is the trend currently.

As President Egdar Lungu once said, things don’t just happen, they are made to happen. Likewise, Zambia will not make itself clean, it’s us the people who will, especially us the young ones because we have the energy.

This can also serve as an opportunity to create wealth and a means to create employment. Young entrepreneurs should team up and come up with innovative ways to manage and recycle waste and make money out of it. I am sure Government and other stake holders are willing to support anything tangible that will make Zambia Clean.

     

KAUNDA SHEDS TEARS; AS HE URGES ZAMBIANS NOT TO FORSAKE GOD, EVEN AMIDST ECONOMIC CHALLENGES.

By Masauso Mkwayaya.

Zambia’s first Republican President Kenneth Kaunda was on Sunday 26 September ,at the Anglican  Cathedral of the Holy Cross .

He was invited  over to bid farewell to his long time young friend, Reverend Father Edwin Mwanza, who has left the Cathedral to go and take up his role as Parish Priest at the Anglican Matero Parish.  

When he was called to address the congregants by Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Cross Dean, Father Charley Thomas, Dr. Kaunda who was seated in the front roll, jogged to the podium, in his usual signature jog with his copper walking stick suspended from the ground on his right hand.

His trademark, the white handkerchief was loosely hanging and dangling on his left hand as the visibly emotional former President tried to compose himself before he could start speaking.

Dr. Kaunda was seen shedding tears before he could even say anything; leading the Church into a somber silent mood with some congregants standing in ovation.

With tears rolling down on his cheeks but quickly wiped out by his white handkerchief, Dr. Kaunda told congregants in a faint but clear tone, that Zambian’s should not forsake their God even amidst challenging  economic times.

The nonagenarian quoted what has arguably become to be known as his favorite Bible verse, “love God with all hearts and souls, love your neighbor as you love yourself.”  The Bible passage is derived from the New Testament book of Mathew Chapter 22 verses 37 to 39.

Dr, Kaunda addressing congregants at the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Cross.
Photo courtesy of Lusaka Times. 

Dr. Kaunda praised the Church in Zambia for doing a good job in uniting Zambians. He said any kind kind of success can only be guaranteed if people love their God.

And in his farewell sermon to the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Cross congregants, Reverend Father Edwin Mwanza also called on Zambians to join hands and pray for the country which is currently faced with economic challenges .

Standing on the pulpit in his white robe and a green cassock hanging at the back of his neck and his broad shoulders, the confident and fluent Father Mwanza delivered a powerful and moving sermon, based on Numbers 11 .

He said people who are in the wilderness, which he referred to as challenges, should not forsake God because no success is achieved without passing through difficulties.

After he concluded his sermon, congregants gave him a glowing standing ovation, with some women and men heard ululating and whistling with excitement.  

Father Mwanza has served at the Anglican Cathedral for the last six years. 

POOR CV'S CONTRIBUTING TO YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT.

By Masauso Mkwayaya

Last week on Saturday 26 September 2015, the Intercontinental Hotel‘s ballroom in Lusaka was filled with cheerful young women who looked to be between the ages of 17 and early 30’s.

The young ladies who sat in their colorful clothing with smiles all over their faces throughout the time that this writer was there , were brought together by Kupe’s Young Women’s Network .

The Organization brought them together to share skills on how to write a presentable and profession Curriculum Vitae (CV).  

And a  Lusaka based Business coach who was guest speaker at the event says the poor standard and quality of Curriculum Vitae's (CV's) from young people, to prospective employers is a huge contributing factor to the high levels of youth unemployment that Zambia is currently faced with.

 PRISCILLA BANDA a holder of a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and a Director of an International Non-Governmental Organization, said majority of the unemployed but educated young people are missing rare chances of getting employed, because most of them are failing to represent themselves in a professional and attractive manner through their CV's.

“A CV should be written in a way that fully but professionally represents an individual's professional academic and personal well-being, it's the only thing that prospective employers see and have as terms of reference when people apply for jobs, they can’t see you, they only see you CV’s, so it should be spectacular.” She said.

Miss Banda said as a professional recruitment consultant she would shun a poorly written CV from a Degree holder to a well written CV from a person with lower academic qualifications.

“What stands out is well written and well-presented CV, even if you are Degree holder, if you can’t write a good CV, even people with lower qualifications but with well written CV’s will attract me “She added.

 And Kupe's Young Women's Network Founder, Norena Chiteba who was clad in a colorful bluish dress said young women should be empowered with skills that will not disadvantage them to achieve and acquire anything in society including jobs.

“Young Women should be equipped with skills and knowledge that will enable them to get and acquire whatever they set their minds to in society, I have organized this workshop to help a few girls, we have so far empowered over 70 girls from across Lusaka.”  Said Miss Chiteba.

 And KAMILA BANDA a young, jovial and confident looking Lusaka based young women who participated in the one day workshop says she might have missed opportunities to be employed in the past, because she did not know how to represent herself in a professional manner on her CV.

“I have written a number of Job applications and my CV has bounced back on a number of times, but I am confident I will make my mark after I apply the skills I have leant today”She said.

The Zambian Youthful Thought agrees with Miss Banda’s sentiments in totality, in a world where unconventional writing and reading habits have engulfed the young population, professional and official writings that young people engage in usually get the hardest blow because they are of poor quality.

Some of the writings by young people even on their social sites like facebook are utterly disgraceful and embarrassing because some of them have acquired tertiary education.

Young people should therefore be encouraged to engage in deliberate reading and writing habits so that they prepare themselves   as achievers who will serve Zambia from all its challenges. Young people should realize that today’s reader is tomorrow’s leaders.

Photo's courtesy of Kupe's Young Women Facebook page.

HUNGER IN ZAMBIA,MAKING FREE EDUCATION UNATTAINABLE .

 By Masauso Mkwayaya.

 In the last 50 years, the Zambian government has made several strides in ensuring it provides incentives to facilitate for free education at different levels.Since 2002, government has made it a mandate to provide free education to all pupils in grades 1 to 7 in all government schools.


 But does free basic education really exist in a country where pupils in grade 1 to 7 nominally do not pay any school fees but  meet other hidden fees such as, Parents Teachers Association (PTA), and report form  fees?

 It is however worth noting that the Zambian government has tried and is still trying to provide free basic education.In 2002  Government through the Ministry of Education formulated a  policy, which among other things stipulates that basic education should be provided and availed for free to every pupil in grade 1 to 7.

In 2007, the Ministry of Education also implemented the Every Child to School policy, which had a bias on infrastructure development.This  led to the building of 4,627 new classrooms.

UNICEF Zambia records indicate that In 2008, the Education for All - Fast Track Initiative (EFA FTI) also sanctioned Zambia’s national education strategy.  The same records further review that FTI played an important role in the prioritization of education in national policies.

 As a result of such ambitious undertakings government with support from, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s)  like UNICEF and other donor organizations and countries has increased its funding to the country’s education sector in order to increase resources for the implementation of free education among other things.

Records at the Ministry of Education, Science and Vocational Training   show that funding to the education sector steadily increased from 2.9% in 2006 to 3.5 % of the total GDP in 2010.

Some of the above highlighted steps that the Zambian Government has taken were in response to the Millennium Development    Goals (MDG's) on Education.

And by 2013 Zambia had already met the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) number 2 which aims at ensuring that all signatories of the MDG’s have 2/3 (two thirds) of their children in school.

But despite all these numerous efforts,  more than seven hundred thousand (700,000) children are out of school and 47% of those enrolled in school do not complete the primary cycle.

 The above statistics  leads to one wondering whether, free basic education does really exist?  If it does, why are over seven hundred thousand (700,000) children not in school, and why are 47 percent of the children already  enrolled in the free basic education system dropping out?

UNICEF’s records further review that children from poor households, rural children and girls are the last to enrol in school and the first to drop out, and are significantly underrepresented in the upper grades of basic education as well as the secondary level.

.

Furthermore, the number of Community Schools which apparently accommodate majority of pupils from poor families in Zambia, had skyrocketed from slightly over a hundred (100) in the 1990's to slightly over three thousand (3000) by 2005.

This simply shows that children from poor families who cannot afford to enrol in much organized government Schools are hungry for education.

The Zambian Youthful Thought has sadly observed that majority of these education hungry pupils, at times stay away from Schools because of hunger.

It is overwhelming that these same disadvantaged pupils at times perform better academically than their counterparts in more organized government Schools.

This can be evidenced by the dismay that former Education Minister John Phiri expressed towards the pupils and teachers from government schools after he learnt that grade 7 pupils who sat for the 2013 grade 7 exams in community schools recorded a higher pass rate than that recorded in government schools.

Dr.Phiri is on record to have scolded teachers and pupils in government schools for what he felt was a poor performance especially that they had better funding, better infrastructure and generally a more organized system than community schools.

 

The Zambian Youthful Thought is of the thought that if pupils from disadvantaged set ups, are able to defy the odds of poverty and produce better academic results than those in more organized government schools.

Government and other concerned stake holders should put in extra efforts and come up with a deliberate feeding system in community schools as was the case in the Kaunda days.

 The Zambian Youthful Thought believes that the move will attract pupils who shun school because hunger and lack of food thereof. And it is common knowledge that one needs energy to learn, and only food is the source of that energy.

Majority of these children from poor families who live under a dollar($1) a day ,would rather save the little money available and use it on food other than on what appears less pressing to them, such as school uniforms and other hidden fees that are charged by schools.

Families where these children come from, are faced with painful predicaments, if they use the little money they have on school uniforms or books, the family will have nothing to eat. This is why they would rather sacrifice the little money they have to buy food and feed the family.

These challenges will only be sorted out if relevant stakeholders create an environment where families  will be able to carry out their responsibilities of NOT only feeding their young ones .But also ensuring that they take their children and dependents  to school without any intention of withdrawing them out of school, because of inadequate resources.