By REBECCA MUSHOTA –
.Mulusa
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has relieved Minister of National Planning and Development Lucky Mulusa of his duties, and thanked him for his services. According to a terse statement issued yesterday by President Lungu’s Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda, the President terminated the appointment of Mr Mulusa as minister of
National Development Planning and also revoked his nomination as a Member of Parliament.
Mr Mulusa raised eyebrows a few weeks ago by mocking Government’s defence of its decision to spend millions of dollars on a fleet of 42 modern fire tenders that were perceived to have been overpriced by certain quarters of the population.
He compared the machines to wheelbarrows, in an address to a gathering of accountants.
Mr Chanda’s statement gave no reasons for Mr Mulusa’s dismissal, saying only that, “The decision is pursuant to the powers vested in the President under Article 92 (2)(e) of the Constitution of Zambia read with Section 26 of the Interpretations of the General Provisions Act, Chapter 2 of the Laws of Zambia.”
He said the President thanked Mr Mulusa for the services he rendered to the country and wished him well in his future endeavours.
Mr Mulusa was appointed minister last year after President Lungu won the 2016 presidential election.
He was appointed to lead the National Planning Ministry after it was delinked from the ministry of Finance, having earlier served as the President’s special assistant for project implementation and monitoring.
Mr Mulusa will also be remembered for the emotional moment when he openly broke down at Ngabwe where he found some government officials of the newly-established district operating under a tree. He would later suggest that the Government consider moving the capital city to the same district.
On Tuesday on a television programme, Mr Mulusa condemned Zesco and Government officials for long stretch of load-shedding that Zambia experienced during the last two years, in comments that would have been seen as going against the spirit of collective responsibility, as was the case with his remarks on the fire tenders.
By Press time, Mr Mulusa could still not be reached for a comment as his mobile phone appeared to be off.
