•MR Malcolm Mulenga (right) and Ms Lombe Kamukoshi at State House in 2013.

By MIRIAM ZIMBA –

BEING referred to as commander-in-chief of the armed forces was not only a title he earned by virtue of being Republican President – the men and women in uniform held a special place in his heart.
This is one title that Michael Chilufya Sata held for three years of his presidency between September 2011 and October 2014, when news about his demise gripped the nation.
While the general citizenry is at liberty to express emotions such as grief, members of the defence and security wings are disciplined to hold back all emotions and carry out their duties as though they are emotionless beings.
This is because any sign of emotion, grief, fatigue or anxiety or any similar expression for them in the course of their duties may constitute unprofessional conduct.
Duty calls for these people include taking charge of the funeral proceedings right from the time the body of President Sata arrived into the country, through to Mulungushi International Conference Centre where the body is lying in repose, all the way to his final resting place at Embassy Park presidential burial grounds.
All other important activities such as body viewing at Mulungushi, and proceedings at Parliament grounds where the body was taken, followed by the requiem mass at Lusaka’s Heroes Stadium, also reiterate the important role played by military personnel at State functions.
All these are simply because their allegiance to the State supersedes their personal allegiances but, above all, in instances such as a State funeral for a Head of State, their allegiance to their commander-in-chief is also very distinctive.
The uniformed personnel have a lot to be grateful to President Sata because he used powers of the presidency to leave an indelible footprint as regards improving the welfare of defence and security officers.
Apart from ceremonial events such as officiating at pass-out parades for military personnel, where he commissioned hundreds of uniformed personnel under the Zambia Police, Zambia Army, Zambia Air Force (ZAF) and Zambia National Service (ZNS), President Sata left a legacy of improved accommodation for defence personnel across the country.
It was during Mr Sata’s presidency a number of housing units were constructed in different parts of the country to not only cushion the shortage of accommodation, but also boost the morale of uniformed personnel.
An example of this is the construction of 275 housing units in Kabwe and another 125 in Mufulira by the Ministry of Defence under phase one of the Sinomach Housing Unit Project.
During the commissioning of officer cadets at Kabwe’s Kohima Barracks in 2013, Zambia Army Commander, Lieutenant-General Paul Mihova acknowledged the efforts the Government was making in addressing the accommodation situation for defence personnel in the country.
Gen Mihova commended the gesture by the Government to build houses for army officers, adding that it would go a long way in improving the living conditions of military personnel.
The Government had set out on a path to construct over 4,000 housing units for defence and security personnel by the end of 2013, and President Sata is on recorded saying that 4,336 medium and low-cost housing units were constructed and handed over to security wings.
Of the total number of houses constructed, the Zambia Army L85 received 2,830 while ZAF received 1,001, and ZNS Makeni got 105.
“Today, I wish to share with you our Government’s progress in the provision of accommodation for our distinguished men and women in uniform in the Zambia Army, Zambia Air Force and Zambia National Service,” Mr Sata said.
The Head of State also posted on his Facebook page that about 77 per cent of works had been done on the out-patient and X-ray departments with associated external works at the Northern Command Military Hospital in Ndola.
Other works included the construction of the Air Force Hospital at the ZAF headquarters, a mini-hospital at ZNS in Makeni in Lusaka, a clinic at ZNS Munakamba and Mkushi, as well as the construction of medical stores at Arakan Barracks in Lusaka.
“Going forward, our plan as Government is to construct additional housing units and rehabilitate the existing infrastructure for the men and women in uniform across the country in line with PF plans,” Mr Sata said.
Memories of the change that brought transformation in the uniforms of personnel of Zambia National Service (ZNS) are among the many accolades Mr Sata will be remembered for.
From ZNS’s inception in 1971, Mr Sata’s Government made a historic change in the uniform of ZNS, when he unveiled a camouflage uniform for them.
President Sata also made some administrative adjustments by directing ZNS to expedite the process of opening up training centres to accommodate a bigger number of youths for skills training.
President Sata said ZNS had enormous responsibilities, which included training of youths in life sustaining skills.
During the commissioning parade for 136 ZNS officer cadets in 2012, Mr Sata is also on record directing ZNS to accelerate the establishment of more training centres to accommodate more youths for skills training, to ensure that they remained resourceful and self-sustaining.
He said the huge influx of youths during the selection of each intake should be a constant reminder to the ZNS commandant that there were a lot of youths out there who needed to be equipped with skills and create job opportunities for them.
“My Government is cognisant of the fact that for this youth skills
training programme to have a significant impact on the country’s high unemployment levels, the youth need to be empowered with tools and resources after they complete their training to help them easily integrate back into society,” Mr Sata said.
In his quest to promote gender equality in the security wings, President Sata is the first Head of State to appoint a female Police Inspector General Stella Libongani.
He also appointed competent female police officers as provincial commanders across the country whose numbers were almost at a 50-50 representation with the male police commissioners.
These men and women in uniform will forever remain indebted to President Sata’s efforts of improving their professional and living conditions.
All the changes he made as their commander-in-chief is evidence enough that Mr Sata had their best interests at heart.
The 21-gun salute and fly-ast at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport when President Sata’s body arrived on Saturday, November 1, 2014, and  the gun salute which was accorded to his memory during his burial are probably some of the most distinct ways in which defence personnel can express their grief.
Although their emotions may have been concealed during their course of duty throughout the mourning period of President Sata, for the men and women in uniform, he will remain one such commander-in-chief whose
legacy will be treasured for years to come.