Presidential Ministerial Appointments: An analysis; Who are the winners?

PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has begun giving us an insight of how his legacy will be shaped and reshaped in the next five years.
His appointments will give us a window and an insight of how the next 5 years will pan out.

Like any man who so many are hinging on with high expectations yet he so few to give, President Lungu will use the reward system in a difficult way.

With so many waiting for an appointments and extremely few positions to give, President Lungu will rely on a delicate balancing act seeking merit, tribal balancing, loyalty, commitment and other personal discretion he would use.

Appointments So Far

President Lungu has appointed Patriotic Front strongman and Secretary General Davies Chama as new Defence Minister.
This is one of the highest portfolio after Vice President.

Movement for Multi Party Democracy (MMD) President Felix Mutati has emerged as the biggest winner in the bounty of jobs being given by President Edgar Lungu in this new Cabinet.

Mutati whose party was in an electoral alliance with the Patriotic Front (PF) rendered his weight behind President Lungu and opted not contest as a presidential candidate thereby giving ample room to the PF to manoeuvre.

Although MMD is now a shell of its former glory when it had 53 Members of Parliament in 2011 to now about 3 MPs in 2016, it’s absence benefited the PF.

Mutati now heads the country’s powerful financial and economic portfolio as Minister of Finance taking over from veteran administrator and economist Alexander Bwalya Chikwanda.

Mutati a chartered accountant is good for the markets as he brings to the table massive experience as he served as Minister of Commerce under President Rupiah Banda and Deputy Minister of Finance under Mwanawasa.

Others are until Wednesday, Special Assistants for Projects, Monitoring and Evaluation Lucky Mulusa who has made Cabinet Minister.
Mulusa who is the former member of Parliament for Solwezi Central and a financial expert assumes the key portfolio of Ministry of National Planning and Development.

He brings valuable experience in planning and project implementation.

Veteran labour leader, Joyce Nonde-Simukoko Simukoko also scores big with her nomination as new MP and Minister of Labour and Social Security.

Nonde-Simukoko replaces Fackson Shamenda and her skills will be required to implement new labour laws, and expand labour market beyond the formal sector.

Young lawyers in Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu (Mporokoso MP and Malambo MP) will head Northern and Eastern Provinces while former MMD youth activist, Bowman Lusambo heads Copperbelt as Provincial Ministers.

Currently the country has 21Ministers and 10 Provincial Ministers.

But from the current appointments, President Lungu has exhausted all his nominations with key personalities in the party and national campaigns seemingly left out of this top decision making body.

Many are asking:”Where is KBF? Fr Frank Bwalya? Kalushya Bwalya? Ngosa Simbyakula? Mumbi Phiri?as these personalities required nominations to make in lt into Cabinet.

However the new Constitution allows the President to appoint upto 30 Ministers and 10 Provincial Ministers.

If the President wishes to create more ministries portfolios, he will only require parliamentary approval.

President Edgar Lungu heads to the United Nations and will probably use the opportunity to think about the rest of appointments to fill the vacancies.

And of interest is the appointment of losing candidate for Chipili constituency and former Home Affairs Minister, Davies Mwila who assumes the powerful position of Secretary General of the party.

Mwila a former Secretary General of one of Zambia’s largest labour union, Mine Workers Union of Zambia, will need his people skills to develop and grow the party that is weak at structure and grass roots level.