Even UPND dribbled in recruitment – Simuuwe
By Adrian Mwanza
UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) was also dribbled in the controversial secret recruitment of police officers three months before the August elections, says party media director Mark Simuuwe.
In an interview with The Mast, Simuuwe said members of the UPND were complaining because the process was done in secrecy.
“You have seen that even our members are crying because they feel betrayed in the manner this process was conducted as there was no proper advertisement,” Simuuwe said.
He said the ruling party was shocked that even Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security Jack Mwiimbu was not aware about the recruitment as he was kept in the dark, too.
Simuuwe, however, could not be drawn into explaining what he meant by suggesting that Mwiimbu, a minister whose ministry runs the recruitment of police officers, was unaware.
He said the criteria used were strange accusing the people who were in charge of the process of doing the nation a disservice.
“This entails that the process was not political because I can confirm that even the minister of home affairs and internal security was not aware of this,” he said.
Simuuwe urged the authorities to do the right thing before people got the wrong perception about the recruitment.
He insisted that the 2026 police recruitment exercise was not properly done.
“…because most individuals who were qualified and had the capabilities had been left out. This is our concern, too,” Simuuwe said
He said it was wrong for the people of Zambia to suggest that only UPND cadres were recruited to disadvantage the opposition.
“I just want to clear this notion that only UPND cadres were recruited when we have seen a scenario where even people aligned to the opposition are allowed to join the civil service,” Simuuwe said.
He pleaded with the civil service to be professional in the execution of duty because the failure to do the right thing was damaging the image of the UPND.
“I just want to urge the technocrats to do the right thing and not a situation we are seeing now where things are done secretly without the knowledge of the public,” Simuuwe said.
