. Kanganja

By STEVEN ZANDE and REBECCA MUSHOTA –

FOLLOWING a public outcry, the Zambia Police Service has reversed its decision to enlist eight Chinese men in its reserves unit.
Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanganja told journalists in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that the decision, which was lawful and made in good faith, was reversed following the public outcry.
“I wish to inform the nation that after extensive consultation we have decided to rescind the decision,” Mr Kanganja said.
“But we will not stop at that, we will look at other avenues in our efforts to address the deficit that we have in the Police Service,” he added.
He insisted there was nothing unlawful about the decision, explaining the move had been taken with an eye to strengthening personnel in the service.
Mr Kanganja on Monday enlisted eight Chinese men as reserve officers.
Members of the public immediately took issue with the move, expressing their disapproval in heated debates carried out on various social media platforms.
Some members of the public said that the law did not allow for foreigners to serve in the security service wings, reminding Mr Kanganja of a reminder he had issued earlier in the year to his officers not to marry foreigners.
Some said the police uniform was ‘too sacred’ to be worn by foreigners while others said they found it curious that the announcement of the appointments was accompanied by a Chinese donation of two motor vehicles to the police.
But police spokesperson Esther Katongo, commenting on the police Whatsapp group said the appointment of police reserves was backed by Chapter 117 sections 4 and 7(2) of the Laws of Zambia known as the Zambia Police Reserve Act which did not segregate as to the race or nationality of who  could serve in the role.
Ms Katongo said police reservists were not a new phenomenon in the ZPS and the performance such officers was always closely monitored.
The critics batted back with the argument that Article 192 and 194 was very categorical that only Zambians could serve in any defence wing.
Former presidential Press aide Dickson Jere said it was unfair that the Chinese had taken over land and businesses and were now running the police.
However, some people said that the comments were racist and lacked understanding on the circumstances in which decision was taken.
Governance analyst Isaac Mwanza said there was nothing unconstitutional about enlisting foreign police reserves and that the Police were right to have done so considering that the growing Chinese population in Zambia.
Forum for Democracy and Development spokesperson Antonio Mwanza said the outcry was reflective of an undercurrent of negative sentiment against Chinese residents in Zambia who had been allowed to take over businesses that could be run by nationals.
Meanwhile, Mr Kanganja donated 25 single mattresses and two bales of blankets all valued at K20, 000 to a Lusaka-based and Catholic-run orphanage, St Lawrence Home of Hope.
He said the home was important because keeping children away from the streets helped them grow up in a place that gave them an opportunity to develop into responsible citizens who refrained from criminality.
Lawrence Home of Hope director Jacek Rakowski said the home did not keep children on permanent basis but worked to help children reform to integrate them into their families thereby helping foster a better society.