THE University of Zambia Lecturers’ and Researchers’ Union (UNZALARU) has written a letter to the UNZA Vice-Chancellor Professor Luke Mumba to cancel out the appointment of Dr Jackson Mwanza as Dean of Students because of irregularities that accompanied his selection to the management position.

And UNZALARU said it was disappointing that at a time when the institution was grappling with inadequate funding from the central government, Management, decided to create a totally unnecessary position of UNZA Spokesperson.

In a letter dated 2nd April,2020 UNZALARU president Dr Evans Lampi said the appointment of Dr Mwanza to the position of Dean of Students Affairs violated the university values.

“We, the Executive Committee of the University of Zambia Lecturers’ and Researchers’ Union (UNZALARU), write to request you to immediately nullify the employment of Dr Jason Mwanza as the new Dean of Students Affairs at the University of Zambia for glaring irregularities. We must state from the onset that we have nothing personal against Dr Mwanza, who, as you might know, was until his appointment a member of the Union, arising from his position as a Lecturer in the Department of Social Work and Sociology, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and a subscribed member of UNZALARU. As a matter of opinion, we believe that Dr Mwanza retains both the necessary qualifications and experience to take up the position of Dean of Students, given that he has previously served as Acting Deputy Dean of Students Affairs and is in possession of the academic credentials that the job requires. Our opposition to Dr Mwanza’s appointment emanates from the glaring irregularities that accompanied his selection to this Management position, irregularities that betray the core values of the University of Zambia,” read the letter.

“There are two reasons why we refuse to stand by and watch you or any member of the University slaughter with impunity the essential values of this public institution that we all love and why we insist that the appointment of Dr Mwanza must be reversed with immediate effect. The first is that Dr Mwanza never applied for the position of Dean of Students. Instead, he was simply invited for formal interviews for the position alongside two other academic members of staff. These are Prof. Boniface Namangala from the Institute of Distance Education and Prof. Osbert Sikazwe from the School of Mines. Like Dr Mwanza, both Prof Namangala and Prof Sikazwe never, at any time, applied for the position of Dean of Students. Even more odd is that the other two interviewees do not qualify to be considered for the position in the first place,”

Below is Dr Lampi’s letter to Prof Mumba:

Dear Vice-Chancellor Mumba,

Subject: Petition to Nullify the Employment of Dr Jason Mwanza as Dean of Students Affairs

We, the Executive Committee of the University of Zambia Lecturers’ and Researchers’ Union (UNZALARU), write to request you to immediately nullify the employment of Dr Jason Mwanza as the new Dean of Students Affairs at the University of Zambia for glaring irregularities. We must state from the onset that we have nothing personal against Dr Mwanza, who, as you might know, was until his appointment a member of the Union, arising from his position as a Lecturer in the Department of Social Work and Sociology, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and a subscribed member of UNZALARU.

As a matter of opinion, we believe that Dr Mwanza retains both the necessary qualifications and experience to take up the position of Dean of Students, given that he has previously served as Acting Deputy Dean of Students Affairs and is in possession of the academic credentials that the job requires. Our opposition to Dr Mwanza’s appointment emanates from the glaring irregularities that accompanied his selection to this Management position, irregularities that betray the core values of the University of Zambia.

This brings us to a related crucial point: we are raising this issue not because we have a formal say in the recruitment of University of Zambia staff. We are motivated by a fundamental belief that as members of the University, we have a solemn duty to uphold and defend the institution’s core values, which include excellence, accountability, equity and integrity. It is for this reason that one of the principal objectives of UNZALARU, expressed in Article 3 (1) (h) of the Union constitution, is “giving expression to the core values of the University”. We believe that the appointment of Dr Mwanza to the position of Dean of Students Affairs has violated the aforementioned values. Our position or demand for the nullification of this appointment is thus a matter of principle and an expression of our commitment to promoting the stated core values that guide the running of the University of Zambia.

There are two reasons why we refuse to stand by and watch you or any member of the University slaughter with impunity the essential values of this public institution that we all love and why we insist that the appointment of Dr Mwanza must be reversed with immediate effect. The first is that Dr Mwanza never applied for the position of Dean of Students. Instead, he was simply invited for formal interviews for the position alongside two other academic members of staff. These are Prof. Boniface Namangala from the Institute of Distance Education and Prof. Osbert Sikazwe from the School of Mines. Like Dr Mwanza, both Prof Namangala and Prof Sikazwe never, at any time, applied for the position of Dean of Students.

Even more odd is that the other two interviewees do not qualify to be considered for the position in the first place. This is because the advertisement for the position of Dean of Student Affairs, one that appeared in both our national newspapers and within the University’s internal platforms, explicitly stated that applicants should, among other core qualifications, possess “A Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences/Counselling/Education or any other relevant field from a reputable university”. The official advert further listed “A master’s degree in Social Sciences/Counselling/Education or any other relevant field from a reputable university” as another essential qualification.

As you very well know, Prof. Namangala received his PhD in Parasite Immunology, Master of Science in Vet Microbiology while his Bachelor’s degree was in BVet Med. As you also very well know, Prof. Sikazwe holds a PhD degree in Geology, a Master of Science degree in Mineral Exploration and Mining Geology, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mineral Sciences. None of these qualifications are from the field of social sciences or relevant fields, however one may stretch it. Given this background, what criterion was used by the University to invite to formal interviews individuals who do not even meet the qualifications for the advertised position?

If the argument is that Dr Mwanza was head hunted, then what was the purpose of inviting for interviews Prof Sikazwe and Prof Namangala when you know very well that the two individuals do not meet the stated core qualifications for the job? Was the whole thing rigged for the benefit of Dr Mwanza? Are you seeing the glaring irregularities that we are seeing, Vice-Chancellor? We submit that in the interest of transparency and respect for the integrity of institutional procedures and processes, Dr Mwanza’s appointment to the position of Dean of Students should be revoked immediately. Afterwards, you could then re-advertise the position publicly, advise Dr Mwanza to submit an application for the same, and even assure him, if you wish and think doing so is not wrong, that you will give him the job but only after adhering to the values, processes and procedures of the University.

We are aware that Management has previously twice advertised for the position of Dean of Students. We also know that when it was first advertised, over 200 applications were received from interested candidates out of which three – only three! – were short-listed for interviews. These were Miss Grace Tembo, the current UNZA Deputy Dean of Students Affairs, Mr John Mukombwe, an academic member of staff who previously served as UNZA Deputy Dean of Students for years, and the third person was Mrs Nkuwa Simachela Mahamba, the current Dean of Students at Levy Mwanawasa Medical University. We are reliably informed that Miss Tembo came out on top, but she was denied the job on the curious excuse that she did not enclose a Grade 12 certificate (!), which was one of the core qualifications, into her application. For some reason, no attempt was made to award the job to the other two finalists. Instead, the position was re-advertised and over 70 applications were received this time.

Again, only three – we repeat, three! – applicants were short-listed for the interviews and these included the earlier cited Mr Munkombwe, Dr Kelvin Mambwe, who is an academic member of staff, and Mr Kennedy Mususa, who works in the Vice-Chancellor’s office, your office. Following the interviews, nothing was said until now when we learnt of Dr Mwanza’s appointment under the irregular circumstances that we have already noted. We note Management’s latest announcement that “Dr Mwanza has been recruited as the new Dean of Students Affairs (DOSA) after a competitive recruitment process”. We demand a full explanation of the circumstances under which Dr Mwanza has been appointed, including a clear demonstration of the alleged “competitive recruitment process” that preceded his employment.

The second reason why we believe that the appointment should be revoked is that the failure to do so would create a terrible precedence and institutionalise wrongdoing in the recruitment of staff to our esteemed university. Already, we are disappointed with how Miss Brenda Bukowa, another of our colleagues who is a lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, was recruited to the position of UNZA Spokesperson without any formal advertisement for the position. The University already had the position of UNZA Public Relations Manager, occupied by Mr Chibale Damaseke, when the post of UNZA Spokesperson was created. At the same time, the University also had the position of Deputy Public Relations Manager, one that was occupied by Mr Mulunda Habenzu, so if it was felt that Mr Chibale is ineffective, why was he not relived of his duties and his deputy promoted? If both Mr Chibale and Mr Habenzu were deemed ineffective, wasn’t dismissing and replacing them with more competent professionals the most cost effective way of dealing with their incompetence?

We are most disappointed that at a time when the institution is being run on a shoestring budget and grappling with inadequate funding from the central government, Management, led by yourself, decided to create a totally superfluous position of UNZA Spokesperson and moved immediately to appoint Ms Bukowa to the same post whilst maintaining the original staff in the Public Relations Unit. Vice-Chancellor, we should not waste institutional resources this way. Even more unacceptable is the fact that Management, under your leadership, decided to not only create the position but also employ a staff without advertising for the same. What criterion did you use to arrive at the conclusion that there was no need to advertise for the position of UNZA Spokesperson?

Is it because Ms Bukowa is the sole custodian of the qualifications, skills and competencies that are required to perform the functions, duties or responsibilities for the role? Was it so hard for you to advertise and possibly rubber-stamp the selection of Ms Bukowa if you and your colleagues in Management believe that she is so indispensable? Note that we are not saying Ms Bukowa is not qualified to hold the position of UNZA Spokesperson. As a matter of opinion, we believe she is. We are however against the creation of positions in the University for purposes of promoting patronage. We are of the belief that if the existing officers in the Public Relations Unit were deemed incompetent, they all should have been sacked and replaced with a competent team, instead of raising the University’s wage bill by creating redundant posts. We are raising serious questions about a disturbing trend where your leadership is now dishing out jobs to individuals without due regard to the core values, procedures and processes of the University of Zambia.

In a recent internal memo to the university community dated 24 March 2020, the UNZA Registrar, Mr Sitali Wamundila, informed us that ‘Management has merged Marketing, Public Relations, and Customer Care Services to form the Department of Communication and Marketing…headed by Ms Brenda Bukowa”. We are aware that some members of the dissolved units of the University had expressed displeasure with how Ms Bukowa was unilaterally recruited to the position of UNZA spokesperson probably because they consider her recruitment as a vote of no confidence in their competences. We were alarmed that instead of addressing the question surrounding her appointment to the position, Ms Bukowa was rewarded with even greater responsibilities: a totally brand new department was created and she was hoisted onto the top of that department. Even if we assumed that Ms Bukowa – the UNZA Lecturer, UNZA Spokesperson and now UNZA Head of the Department of Communication and Marketing – is serving in the latter two positions on an acting basis, would you blame future applicants to these positions if they accused your leadership of favouritism in the event that you advertised the positions and Ms Bukowa, assuming that she applied for the same, emerged victorious from the formal interviews?

Even more concerning is the fact that Ms Bukowa has officially been on leave for many years now, leave that she had earlier obtained to pursue her doctoral studies at the University of Kwazulu Natal in South Africa. As far as we are concerned, she is yet to officially report back to the University and resume her academic duties. How was someone who is officially still on leave from the University employed as UNZA Spokesperson and now as Head of the newly-created Department of Communication and Marketing during the same period? What is going on, Vice-Chancellor? Why is it so hard to do the right thing, to follow the values, procedures and processes that we have set for ourselves as an institution? In addition to paying Ms Bukowa for her job as a lecturer, the University is now paying her for her role as UNZA spokesperson/Head of the Department of Communication and Marketing. Vice-Chancellor, is this the best way of utilising the limited resources we have as a University?

Are you now seeing why we are alarmed at the emerging pattern of recruitment that is creeping into our University, one, perpetuated by your leadership, in which institutional values are continuously flouted with impunity? Are you, Vice-Chancellor, seeing why we are calling on you to revoke the appointment of Dr Mwanza as Dean of Students? It is the only way of not institutionalising irregularities. For the same reason, we further ask you to revoke the appointment of Ms Bukowa to the position (s) of UNZA Spokesperson/ Head of the Department of Communication and Marketing and to place adverts for the same in the media. We do not want a repeat of the case of Dr Sande Ngalande, who, like Ms Bukowa, was appointed to the fulltime position of Director of a known institute of the University nearly six years ago now on an acting basis. At no time since then has the University invited applications from suitably qualified candidates to fill the position, yet Dr Ngalande now occupies that position on a full-time basis. Vice-Chancellor, you and your colleagues in Management should not undermine institutional standards, values and processes this way.

It is possible that you may decline to act on our well-intentioned petition. That is entirely your prerogative. We would however like to place it on record that we know what is going on and we do not approve of it. The irregularities that are happening in relation to recruitment appear to be deliberate, but if they are not then it should not be difficult for you to reverse the appointments, given the fraudulent way in which they were procured. We know that you and your colleagues in Management may choose to intentionally misread our good intentions and advice but that does not bother us.

We are happy that we have shared with you what we think about your leadership and are absolutely convinced that in the future, history will reveal the identity of those who betrayed institutional trust and those who defended it; those who abused institutional resources and those who called for their prudent use; those whose leadership sank the once prestigious University of Zambia into the abyss and those who tried to steady the ship, to hold the vision-lacking incompetent leaders to account, and to make them aware of the huge costs of their mistakes; those who packed the University Council with user-friendly individuals appointed on ethnic and political considerations (we implore you to ask the Minister of Higher Education to show you the disturbing list of the incoming UNZA Council) and those who stood up to insist that serving on the crucially important organ like the Council should be determined by merit and competence, not one’s tribal identity or political affiliation.

Yours in the promotion of UNZA’s core values, including service and excellence.