It
was on a cold June day at the bustling offices at Zambia's Cabinet Office, a
peculiar figure emerged from the doors. No one really knew who he was or what
he was there for but he seemed to know what or who he wanted. After usual
formalities, introductions and onboarding, it was learnt that the man who was
later known as Mulenga Chanda had just been appointed to Cabinet Office as an Assistant
Director-General of the Emoluments Commission.
Big Mule (as he was
fondly called by his peers due to his larger than life personality) or Chanda
Beu (named after the late famous dancer in Amayenge Asoza Cultural Ensemble by
his foes due to his small stature) used to be a District Education Board
Secretary (DEBS) in one of the districts and used to be very vocal against the
previous administration. The then ruling political party even labeled him an
enemy of the party and pushed him out of the public service when he was retired
in public interest.
Now the retiring of someone in public interest is usually
triggered at the pleasure and volition of the President and in the context of
Zambia, it is a tool which is susceptible to abuse as politicians use it to punish
certain individuals purely for political reasons. Based on this, it is open to
speculation whether Mulenga deserved the boot from the civil service or not.
Different political spectra have different explanations.
Mulenga was a typical village staring who walked with a rhythmic bounce in every step and with shoulders high, his nose always in the air and his eyes sparking with self-assurance that can only be rivaled by stars. He exuded an air of confidence that commanded admiration and envy. Real to him and imaginary to those surrounding him. He was brash and full of braggadocio colloquially referred to as the 'Bemba Arrogance'.
He wore those suits you would get for K500 at salaula joints common on every street
corner. Suits that you don’t have to take for professional laundry but could
just hand it over to your helper to wash it. The suits also allowed him to
carry roasted groundnuts and cassava, his favourite snacks. But it seemed it
also had pockets for stationery, coins, a shoe brush and a packet of cigarette
with matches.
As he made his way to the new office which was extemporaneously
prepared, Mulenga couldn't resist sharing his thoughts on how he wants things
to moving forward with anyone who would listen. He loved to hear the sound of
his own voice, and his colleagues would soon learn due to his incessant
chatter. Despite his chatter, he colleague often found themselves lost on what
he would be talking about, searching for a glimpse of substance amidst the
verbal desert.
"A whole desert of nothingness without
any oasis of sense," his
workmate, Titameni Phiri, would often whisper to others while rolling her eyes
in exasperation and resignation.
Titameni was the self-appointed spokesperson for everyone as she
was the only who would object to Mulenga’s outrageous demands. This was due to
two possible reasons. Firstly, she was a Chewa and a woman. Chewa women are
verbal artists with a reputation of entertaining nothing and taking no
prisoners. These original feminists are assertive and sometimes abrasive.
Secondly, by virtue of her hailing from the eastern part of
Zambia, she had diplomatic immunity over Mulenga. She was his tribal cousin.
There is a longstanding social reciprocal relationship premised on jokes and
power formally described as traditional cousinship in Zambia or Chimbuya.
However, this cannot be exercised by anyone. You can't get away with
condescending jokes if you are not a tribal cousin. Context and names are the
key.
Due to his tendency to speak at length without saying anything
of substance, Mulenga’s charm and charisma - as he thought of it - won over
less people. His reason for having that new job and know it all attitude made
him a divisive figure in the office.
One day, while presenting a critical project to his superiors,
Mulenga launched into a lengthy monologue which was laced with threats and
accusations. It was woved in a tapestry of words that left everyone bewildered.
It had to take Mr. Mwaba, his supervisor, to intervene and gently guided
Mulenga back on track and throwing a lifeline to a meeting which was on a
precipice of a disaster.
"Mr Chanda, my fellow Alice Lenshina
descendant," Mr. Mwaba said
with a smile, "hide that wisdom from the many rat-eating
easterners in this room. They will steal that wisdom and claim its theirs since
they've always claimed that wise people are from the east. For now, let's just
on the task at hand.”
Everyone busted out laughing but the message was clear to
Mulenga who nodded and stuck to reading the presentation word for word to avoid
veering off in a troubling direction. Again.
At the time of writing, Mulenga isn’t a man to make even little
concessions that would eviscerate his opportunity to demonstrate his authority.
However, in life, a little bit of nonsense can be a welcome respite in the
midst of the chaos. We must forgo validation and status for the greater and
collective goal.
Appointments like Mulenga’s are part of the reason why the
public service has been in the doldrums. People like him rarely go to the
office to work and contribute to the greater good. Using the same algorithms
that were used against them, they are usually on the lookout for opportunities
to exert their authority or 'sort out' others, and this usually stretches to
frustrate those who may decide to use anything else but political lenses when
conceptualizing or analyzing things.
It can be hard to understand why someone like Mulenga who had
been abused and treated so unfairly to the point of even being dismissed from
the public service would perpetuate abuse. However, literature has shown that
such patterns are familiar and serve as a way to regain a sense of power. Woe
to the land whose king was a servant, Ecclesiastes 10 v. 16 warns.
Secondly, toxicity, inefficiencies and corruption are usually brewed by individuals like Mulenga who get positions on patronage. Another debate can be held on whether Mulenga is qualified to hold such a senior position as Assistant Director General without any prior experience in the similar environment. Then wouldn’t Mulenga go out hunting for everyone who he thinks may have contributed to his earlier career demise? But again, what is the best way of righting the wrongs that were done to Mulenga through politics?
Clearly, political or discretionary appointments do not lead to the selection of meritocratic qualified appointees since politics values loyalty more than expertise. The feeling of entitlement by the appointees also harms the integrity, efficiency, and effectiveness of the public services. Mulenga is both cause and effect of a flawed system of governance in Zambia, a microcosm of deep rooted problems.
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