Amos Chanda and Kaizer Zulu must be fired because they have become untouchable, says Roan PF member of parliament Chishimba Kambwili.

And Kambwili says there is need to enact a law which will compel presidential aides to declare their assets upon appointment because it does not make sense for “paupers” to amass so much wealth within a year.

Debating the estimates of revenue and expenditure for the year 1st January, 2018 to 31st December, 2018 for State House, Kambwili said he was sick and tired of Chanda and Zulu’s behaviours, noting that Zulu had become a de facto president.

“Mr Speaker, today the integrity of State House is at stake and unless we do something about it Zambia will not be taken seriously, today the integrity of State House is at stake. It is at stake in that certain behaviors and conduct of some of the people that work at State House is unacceptable, people who work at State House must be exemplary in their conduct inside and outside State House but what we see today is a very unbecoming behavior of some of the people that work at State House, they do certain things with impunity. I seem not to understand why some people have become untouchable at State House, we have certain people that have done certain acts that even a little kid can know that this is wrong but they get away with it and continue behaving in a manner that brings State House into disrepute,” Kambwili said.

“I am beginning to wonder these days to whether this is the first administration since independence that we have certain positions at State House because some of the positions at State House, we never even used to hear about them because these are people that operate in the background to support the President but today, people who work at State House want to be involved in everything in the country from political rallies to procurements, mention it! I mean how would we be appropriating money to State House when a political adviser to the President is always seen at meetings for a particular political party?…Let those people that are working in the office of the president do their job at State House. You know sometimes I tend to wonder wherever the president goes, all the advisers to the president are the ones who are even taking the front roll seats even at public rallies, I don’t remember when I saw Dr [Kenneth] Kaunda’s adviser. In any case, I never even knew who Dr Kaunda’s political adviser was because I was a very strong UNIP general secretary for student affairs on the Copperbelt. I did not know who Dr Kaunda’s political adviser was. Today the political adviser to the President has become like a de facto president, this is unacceptable!”

He said it was embarrassing to have Zulu as the Head of State’s political adviser.

“Sometimes people seem to wonder whether he has even got more authority than the Vice-President because you see more of a political adviser than the Vice-President, I mean if this particular individual does not keep the integrity of State House the best we can do is get rid of him. ‘tulesebana’ as a nation, we are losing it everywhere we hear even in some foreign countries he was involved in a scuffle, foreign people come at independence stadium, his involved in pushing police officers, I mean why should we accept this kind of treatment?” Kambwili asked.

And Kamwbili said there was need to enact a law which compelled presidential aides to declare their assets.

“By the way it has become a norm that people who work at State House particularly the civil servants are becoming so rich. Is there business at State House that we don’t know? Probably what we should suggest is that everybody who is appointed at State House must be declaring their assets and liabilities because it is unacceptable that people we knew as paupers as it were, today can drive all the posh vehicles that you can ever think of just after working for State House for one year. We are losing it as a country, people who we knew as nobodys driving corollas, smoke coming out as if its ‘ichimbimbli chamalasha’ meaning the process of making charcoal, you know the smoke of charcoal (charcoal furnace),” he said.

“Today when you go on their Facebooks, they advertise their riches, they are running 12-15 companies and when we say we suspect corruption here, we are told give us evidence, what more evidence do you want…some of us have been insulted on Facebook just by actually questioning why a person we knew as a journalist not too long ago can have five to six properties in Lusaka, expensive properties we have been insulted and we are asked to bring evidence. We can only advise that let us clean up some of these issues because these are issues that will bring the integrity of a government, the integrity of a President is at stake.”

Kambwili said it was unacceptable to have a press aide who wanted to overstretch his mandate by performing ministerial duties as well.

“The other issue Mr Chairman is, the press aide for the president is not a minister and he should stick to his job of being a communication officer on behalf of the President, I have never seen in this country, never! Since independence where the press aid to the President can go all over on international media, on Sunday interviews explaining the policy of government from agriculture, mining everywhere, where on earth? It’s never done like that, only in Zambia. It is a duty of the Minister of Information, chief government spokesperson to undertake those errands and not the presidential aide. The presidential aide’s job is when the President has meeting with State House to inform the country on what is going on at State House, but today you will find Sunday Interview, press aide to the President speaking about PF issues, government issues, it’s never done, that’s an abrogation of a Constitution with impunity,” he said.

“Those civil servants at State House who have gone there to make their own money, to misbehave in the name of protection of State House must be removed from State House we are tired of these people! I am PF,I am member of parliament for Roan PF, I feel ashamed to be associated with such kind of people working at State House whose behavior has always made the people think twice to whether State House has integrity or not why should people become untouchable? Why? If a civil servant commits an offence is fired, if anybody an MP commits an office is taken to privileges and is sanctioned why not those presidential aides? Have they got immunity maybe I have never read the constitution properly, I need to go and read this afternoon maybe they have immunity. We are sick and tired of their behavior, if they are not ready to serve the people of Zambia let them resign so that people with integrity can do those jobs at State House…So Mr Chairman I support the estimates of revenue and expenditure to state house but please may the issues that I have raised be dealt with.”