By CATHERINE NYIRENDA –
PARLIAMENT yesterday ratified the appointment of Likando Kalaluka as Attorney General.
This follows his recent appointment to the position by President Edgar Lungu.
Moving the motion in Parliament, Patriotic Front (PF) Luanshya Member of Parliament (MP) Stephen Chungu told the House that the Parliamentary select committee took into account important characteristics and attributes of the person that needed to serve in the office of the Attorney General.
“All State security agencies that were requested to scrutinise his records found that Mr Kalaluka had no criminal records and was a Zambian who would not pose a danger to the security of the country,” Mr Chungu said.
He said the Committee also interacted with various professional and institutional bodies that all recommended the nomination, apart from the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) and Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) that submitted that Mr Kalaluka needed to gain more experience.
“Your committee supports his appointment as he possesses the required constitutional qualifications and requisites,” he said.
Seconding the motion, MMD Rufunsa MP Kenneth Chipungu said Mr Kalaluka was a youth who would bring some degree of experience to the office of the Attorney General.
Mr Chipungu said Mr Kalaluka was an intelligent, morally upright and a visionary person who was constitutionally qualified for the position.
He urged the new Attorney General to take more Bills to the House on the domestication of human rights laws.
United Party for National Development (UPND) Choma Central MP Cornelius Mweetwa advised the appointing authority to consider appointing people from within the civil service.
He said the House had observed a growing tendency where the appointing authority was appointing from outside civil service demoralising the civil servants who had worked for many years.
He said the appointing authority should consider looking inside the system
before looking outside as he was confident that the lawyers in the civil service were competent.
Justice Minister Ngosa Simbyakula in concluding the debate said Government was satisfied with Mr Kalaluka’s experience after having served 11 years at the bar.
Dr Simbyakula said that was enough experience and qualification to assume the appointment.
